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THE PETER MCVERRY Trust helped almost 3,600 homeless people in Dublin last year, that’s a 17 per cent increase on 2012.
The charity that works with homeless youths said that the vast majority of those it helped were young men but that it has also seen an increase in the number of homeless families and couples.
CEO of the trust, Pat Doyle, said:
The number of residential placements we provided also increased to 2,124, a 25 per cent increase on 2012, while the number of meals we provided rose from 57,000 in 2012 to 75,000 in 2013.
“The vast majority of people accessing our services continue to be young men aged from 18 to 35″.
The Peter McVerry Trust supported 3,586 people in the Dublin region last year.
“In addition to homelessness the areas that they most frequently required support with were drug use (87 per cent), family (58 per cent) and mental health (49 per cent)”.
Immediate Measures
The trust is calling on the Government to tackle the cause of the housing and homelessness crisis and to take immediate measures to prevent the situation getting worse. Doyle said:
The problem is that without the appropriate levels of social and affordable housing units people are forced to look at the private rental sector.
“There people are faced with rising rents, because there isn’t enough units to meet the needs of vulnerable people and those already in the private market.
There is also discrimination against social welfare recipients.
“People are effectively being shut out of the rental market and as a result many are faced with long stays in homeless services”.
Proposals
Pat Doyle said “The fastest way to secure pathways out of homelessness and reduce the number of people in homeless services is to provide voluntary housing bodies with capital funding for the acquisition of properties for both individuals and families.
If we could secure additional residential units then we would have some space and time to create the key piece in tackling the housing issue, a National Housing Strategy.
He concluded that “It would offer an opportunity to tackle the fundamental problems at the core of this and past housing crisis in the state”.”
The charity is doing more than the government.. Says it all really.
Good on them .
That seems to be the case all over. We have so many charities doing amazing work, work the government should be doing but don’t for whatever reason.
Said it before, but homelesness must be terrifying.
Funny isn’t it? Jane and the atheist brigade were on here yesterday lambasting the Catholic Church. Always when there’s news like this they’re nowhere to be seen. Of course, I’m sure they’re helping people somewhere, because they’re such model citizens………
They are the ones developing cures for illnesses and advancing our understanding of technology and the universe.
Two points here to burst your little rant – the Peter McVerry trust is not a Catholic charity, it is run by private individuals with Peter as a figurehead. It is not tied into the Catholic Church in any way (like it should be). Secondly, the majority of funding comes from the government (HSE, Fingal and various other Quangos), so it is essentially a government body like the CRC – it is just that the government somehow prefers these outsourcing models over a state homeless service.
Don’t let the fact that one person has done good, while also being a member of the cult, stop you from holding the other members of it to account for years of abuse. I am sure Jane and everyone else will commend the charity for doing what it was setup to do – atheists can do that you know, make up their own mind.
I give credit where its due P, and Peter McVerry does fantastic work. There are some fantastic people out there who are endlessly willing to help others. Some of those people are religious, some are not.
Your point is petty. I have no issue with individual people and their faith, I take issue merely with people and institutions who wish to inflict that faith on others against their will.
Ya! I’m sure the Church baskets are working for cures for diseases as we speak. Harping on about the plight of people in Africa, when they probably couldn’t show up the countries on a map.
‘Wish to inflict that faith on others against their will’? Come off it Jane! They don’t implement Spanish inquisitions. Nobody is forced to believe or do anything. Many members of the church disagree with many of its teachings and policies. 84% of the country still class themselves as Catholic. Tolerance works both ways. I understand your dislike for religion but please don’t portray it as some indoctrinating cult. Maybe it was before but times have changed.
“Atheist brigade” !!! P O’Neill your not doing any favours for Sinn Fein with lines like that ! some of that brigade maybe considering voting for your party in the upcoming election…….or are they really your party…agent provocateur per chance ??? The name P O’Neill seems a strange and immature one for a Sinn Fein supporter to use given the use of that name during the troubles.
Sinn Féin attracts members from all religious groups and those from none. We also believe in something called tolerance and equality. The same can’t be said for everyone on here.
If you think things have changed P, you’re sadly deluded. Secondary school students still have to study a curriculum in which my beliefs, and those of many like me, are briefly covered under only one chapter titled “Challenges to Faith”. That, apparently, is all agnostics, humanists and atheists are; not people in our own right, but merely challenges to someone else’s faith.
You might also be interested to know that according to the UN, Ireland is in breach of children’s human rights in the way we teach religion. Under the UN Human Rights charter, respect is an absolute entitlement for each and every individual and it cannot be disregarded for minorities in order to respect the majority. It’s also in breach of human rights to force anyone to state their religious beliefs or lack of them under any circumstances, yet atheist/agnostic/humanist children are forced to do this every time they ask to be excused from a religion class.
It’s not good enough. We are a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society and it’s high time we started educating our children in a manner which reflects that; and that begins with treating all children as the equals they are.
In response to your last comment P, the only person in this discussion who I see being intolerant is you.
The majority of secondary schools in the country are controlled by patrons of the Catholic Church. It is only fair that they can implement a Catholic Ethos as they are patron. I’m am in favor of more Co-Ed schools but that is a government issue. You can’t criticize Catholic schools for teaching their religious curriculum, which pupils are free to opt out of. It will be interesting to see the new changes.
I’m actually a very tolerant person, Jane. Much of SF’s support comprises of non-believers. I just take issue with sweeping stereotypical generalisations, hupocrisy, religious bashers and objective, selective viewpoints. Whether people like it or not, 84% of the sate define themselves as Catholic. It’s up to the government to implement the required changes, so far little has been done. 9/10 Primary schools are under Catholic patronage, not their fault the government is broke and cannot provide for new schools.
Who on here is intolerant P O’Neill. ??
Not referring to this comment section, Martin. Just referring to some of the comments from people over the last few days. Don’t recall your username, so not engaging in relation to it.
The fact that most schools in the country are under the patronage of the Catholic Church is precisely the problem, P. I have no issue with the continued existence of religious schools so long as everyone who wants an alternative has access to one.
This doesn’t necessitate the building of more schools, just the change of patronage for a reasonable proportion of existing schools. If every town/parish/catchment area had one secular primary and one secular secondary, the other schools could remain religious and could legitimately admit only children of their own faith. I genuinely think everyone would be happier, and I don’t understand how anyone could object to that.
Don’t think many one would. But the cost of that would run into the billions, which we don’t have. Can’t see many changes within the current economic climate.
How would it cost billions, P? I can’t see it costing much at all (besides the essential “consultancy” fees, of course). Each area would have to decide which existing schools would be secularised (or this could be done by lottery), those schools would be free to phase out religious education and the other schools would be free to continue with it. There would be no need for new buildings or anything else.
Can we give him jan osullivans job?
A Catholic priest helps people… He must have an ulterior motive … It is not possible he is doing it out of the good of his heart or some Christian vocation.
Shiploads,
Trust that is sarcasm, s although still not funny. The trust and the Capuchins as well s others have been carrying out sterling work fr years.
Oh and by the way, they don’t ask religion or faith or try to convert unlike some others
Aics,
Sorry should be addressed to Ahippoo.
I grew up in ballymun, when I was younger I too was sceptical of mr mcverry. As I said I was young..now I have nothing but the utmost respect for the guy. The work he does is magnificent
I kinda like shiploads…. Of course it was sarcastic. Plenty of people will condemn the institution for one bad apple.. few will credit the institution for one good apple… Oh jc now I have opened the whole corporate tax issue.
But Les the institution has nothing to do with him and he is only a figurehead… So sez another poster here.
Ahippoo
Fair enough glad to hear it and that you like the auto correct cock up. Ta
theres simply too many people living here now for what resources we had. Build more, go upwards yea and then more will come and more, this will never be solved but get worse because the population is going up far faster than the resources to meet it. schools over loaded, one job with 100s of applicants for it, no housing, health services in a state…. all because.
When are people going to face up to it that Ireland is FULL until further notice.
What’s he on about? Sure consumer confidence is at an all time high, the banks are back in profit and the government are gonna guarantee mortgages for everyone. 70,000 jobs created and massive tax cuts on the way. A generous water allowance so we can flush our toilets at least twice s day and shower twice a week. More money than ever being invested into education and a… Wait for it… “REFORMING” government that takes amazing care of the people. Homelessness can’t exist in this utopia surely!??
Ha… I should have been a politician.
Homelessness is a lifestyle choice im just waiting for some donkey from the coalition to say it.
Br Kevin is better.
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