FOCUS IRELAND LAUNCHES HARD-HITTING CAMPAIGN CALLING FOR ACTION AS THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN HOMELESS HAS SHOT UP BY 356% IN 5 YEARS

Focus Ireland has launched a new hard-hitting campaign to highlight the trauma that the deepening homelessness crisis is causing to nearly 4,000 children in Ireland.

The emotive campaign projects images of children who are homeless on to a number of landmark buildings in Dublin* to highlight homelessness and Focus Ireland’s 4 point plan to end the crisis.

The charity is running an innovative outdoor projection campaign to shine the spotlight on the growing crisis as the number of children homeless has shot up by a shocking 356% in five years (From 828 children homeless in Sept 2014 to 3778 in July 2019* )

Focus Ireland have projected life-size children on to a number of landmark buildings in Dublin (*Editor notes) to highlight the deepening crisis as new figures just issued this week show a total of 10,275 people homeless. The charity said it believes it is important to remember that there are human beings behind these shocking numbers. There are children who are spending their precious childhoods living in homeless accommodation – they believe no child should have to go through this, and know that it can be solved.

The public can find out more about Focus Ireland’s clear four point plan to end homelessness by going to outofsight.ie.

As part of the projection campaign, the charity captured video and photography of people’s reactions to the stark images projected on the walls, much of which was shock and disbelief at the true reality of the situation in Ireland.  You can watch the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT4uoxTUAYE

Focus Ireland said that there is much good work being done as the charity – in partnership with the State – helped over 500 families to leave homelessness last year.  However, the crisis is still deepening.  Writing in Focus Ireland’s Annual Report 2018 – which is to set to be launched tomorrow morning (Thur Sept 5^th) the charity’s Life President & Founder Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy called out the government on the issue.

Sr. Stan said: “The consistent response by the Government in recent years to homelessness has been to say that it takes time to tackle the crisis.  However, the nearly 4,000 children who are homeless don’t have time.  They are having their childhood stolen by homelessness and every day spent homeless is doing them harm.”

The new campaign also starkly challenges the Government’s position as it echo’s Sr. Stan’s words by stating that these children do not have time.  The campaign includes the line – “Homelessness Hurts Children.”

Commenting on the campaign Rachel Murphy, Co-Director of Fundraising at Focus Ireland said: “We want to make sure that people realise just because they don’t see children on the street it does not mean there aren’t thousands homeless.

Latest figures show nearly 4,000 children homeless nationwide. They are living in emergency accommodation such as hotels and family hubs and there has been research carried out by Focus Ireland and the likes of the Children’s Ombudsman’s’ Office clearly shows the damage this is causing to children. Our family services are working every day to support these children and their families but we must end this crisis.”

She added: “Focus Ireland firmly believes that homelessness can be ended if the right actions are taken and this campaign is calling on people to go to www.outofsight.ie to read our 4 point plan to end homelessness.  We are calling on the public and politicians on all sides to work together as together we can end this heart-breaking human crisis.”

Focus Ireland has called for far more urgency by the Government to end this worsening human crisis and has repeated its call for a specific family homelessness strategy to be put in place which must include a cast-iron deadline that no family or child will be homeless for longer than 6 months.

-ENDS-

• Editor’s Note – The projections took place in Grafton Street, South William St and Chatham Row in Dublin.