Homelessness in Dublin

 “Homeless Jesus”  by sculptor, Timothy Schmalz of Canada at Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin.

Homelessness in Dublin

This is way off my usual posts (which have recently consisted mostly of silence, it has to be said). However I feel strongly about this subject so I'm going to put this out there.

The visit of the Pope to Dublin this weekend has brought attention to the homeless crisis in the city. The many families who rely on emergency accommodation in Hotels; B&B's and Guesthouses are possibly going to be moved out of the city to make way for the crowds attending the events over the weekend. Recent pictures of families sleeping in Garda (Police) Stations have recently brought this issue home to many in a powerfully visual way.



My wife Nora had an idea when looking at the expected crowd for the Papal Mass - 500,000 plus. What if everyone going were to give €5? It would add up to an awful lot of money and would lead to a positive outcome for some of the homeless if it was channelled through the Peter McVerry Trust, one of the leading charities highlighting and working to alleviate the plight of the homeless.

Everyone should have a home. But sharply escalating rents and a shortage of available housing has  created a major crisis in Dublin. If you can afford to please give €5 (or more if you want!) at the link below. And please share the link. It has already raised over €300 and if it goes even moderately viral it has the potential to raise far more.

https://www.gofundme.com/pope-hope-for-the-homeless/

Here are some recent stories highlighting the issue of homelessness in Dublin and the work of the Peter McVerry Trust.

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/homeless-crisis-has-reached-huge-proportions-crosscare-1.3604545

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/an-avalanche-of-homelessness-is-coming-says-mcverry-1.3592017

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/jesuits-gift-dublin-buildings-to-be-converted-to-social-housing-1.3596462

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/homeless-families-could-end-up-living-in-garda-stations-during-pope-s-visit-mcverry-1.3537234


*The photo above was taken from http://momentumeurope.org/attractive-jesus-10-17-2016/