Join Buncranna native Collette McLaughlin in her fight against homelessness by taking part in her sleep-out on Main Street this Friday the 14th of October. The sleep out is part of a national campaign by Focus Ireland and Bord Gáis Energy to shine a light on homelessness by asking the people of Ireland to sleep out for one night in their workplace, office carpark or at home in your garden.
Collette’s sleep out begins at 7:30pm and will last until 7:30am, on Saturday morning.
Anyone hoping to join or support Collette can reach her on 0860620339.
“It’s happening again.”
That’s what Ruth, a young mother of two, said when she contacted our team a few weeks ago. In a little over three weeks’ time, Ruth and her two small children will become homeless.
“The rent is going up again. There is no way we can afford it. I get so upset that I can’t function.”
The shocking thing is that this is not the first time Ruth’s family have been made homeless.
“We were homeless once before. Five years ago. When you’ve seen your children get hurt like that and you think it’s going to happen again, it’s terrifying.”
But this is the reality. This is the nightmare that hundreds of families like Ruth’s are facing right now.
What Ruth and her family need right now is our help. We are asking you to join us for Shine A Light Night on Friday 14 October to sleep out for one night and raise much needed funds to support Ruth and her family.
Homelessness is wrong. No family should ever have to live through this level of stress and fear.
But, right now, hundreds of families like Ruth’s are being forced back into poverty and homelessness by rising rents and a lack of affordable housing.
All through the year our teams have seen a steady increase in the number of families reaching out to Focus Ireland for help. Homelessness has risen by 30% in the last year alone.
But there is something that you can do to help. By signing and fundraising for Shine A Light Night, you will be helping to make sure Focus Ireland teams will be there day after day, to give families like Ruth’s the immediate and practical help they need.
So, please sign up now for Shine A Light Night and join communities across the country to support people experiencing homelessness.
If you need any information you can go to our website https://joinus.focusireland.ie/event/shine-a-light-night/home or contact us through the details below.
Alternatively, if you like to donate visit https://www.focusireland.ie/shinealight/
