DRAGON’S DEN BUSINESSMAN Barry O’Sullivan is selling a home on the Aran Islands and donating the proceeds to two homeless charities.
The sale will provide Focus Ireland and COPE Galway with the deposits to purchase at least 15 homes for families who are homeless.
The two charities have come together to announce the “Home from Home” campaign which encourages people to donate properties or funds to support the provision of homes.
Focus Ireland is the leading homeless organisation working with families in Dublin, while COPE Galway works with homeless families and individuals in Galway.
Family homelessness is at record levels with over 1,200 families and 2,400 children facing Christmas in emergency homeless accommodation this year.
CEO of COPE Galway Jacquie Horan says that the numbers of people facing homelessness in Galway is the worst she can remember in her 20 years with COPE Galway – and the biggest challenge now is getting access to housing.
O’Sullivan has been on the board of management of COPE Galway from 2009 to 2015. He said, “I know from my work with COPE Galway the terrible trauma families who are homeless go through.
I am happy to be in a position to sell this house and donate the proceeds to the Home from Home program.
Six bed property
The house is a six bed property which has views of Kilmurvey beach and the wild Atlantic on Inishmore.
It’s going to auction on 16 December with O’Donnellan & Joyce Auctioneers in their Wild Atlantic Way Christmas Property Auction at 2pm in the Harbour Hotel, New Dock Road, Galway.
The property is guiding with a minimum value of €300,000 however both charities are hopeful that it will raise even more given the spirit of generosity associated with this gift.
Every €20,000 each organisation receives can be leveraged to purchase or refurbish a home through borrowing and other government funding schemes.
Focus Ireland’s Life President and Founder Sr. Stan said, “It is vital that both Focus Ireland and COPE Galway have programs like “Home from Home” in place that enable donations such as this to be leveraged with other funds to provide much needed housing.
Large donors often want to get involved but may be thinking: ‘What can I do to really help?’ Well this is a perfect example of how such a donation will help both our charities to deliver homes for families and their children to escape the trauma of being homeless.
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