‘DECLAN’ – not his real name – offered me a warm handshake when we met at Focus Ireland’s Waterford offices in Grange Cohan two years ago.
Built like a second-row rugby player and possessing a thoroughly gentle demeanour, Declan occasionally stroked his thick beard as he told me about his experience of homelessness.
“Generally, when people are homeless, there are reasons for that and normally it’s because people are doing something wrong of some nature, because if you’re doing nothing wrong, well then there shouldn’t be a problem,” he said.
“But you can end up in a situation where there’s no accommodation available which happened my family but that wasn’t the only issue, there were other things going on. So it’s very important that people who find themselves in the situation we were in try and build trust with organisations like Focus Ireland because help is there.”
Tonight, a great many of us will forego our regular bed to sleep out in aid of Focus Ireland’s Shine A Light annual fundraiser.
What was it that drew me to supporting Focus Ireland, Lisa O’Neill - who manages Focus’s South East frontline services - asked me a few weeks ago.
Firstly, a good friend of mine, Donal Moore had asked me to take part on the initial Waterford sleep-out in late November 2015, underneath the canopy of the William Vincent Wallace Plaza on the South Quays.
The cause we slept out for that night triggered a memory from my Primary School days – all of 30 years previously - when a classmate of mine, Ciara Flynn, stood up in class and described Sister Stanislaus Kennedy as her inspiration.
I don’t think I’d heard of Sister Stan until that morning in Portlaw National School when Ciara spoke about Sr Stan’s commitment to the homeless – about as good an example of the living Gospel that I can think of.
Sr Stan, who founded Focus Ireland in 1985, is still committed to helping a societal cohort which, for multiple reasons, more of us have paid greater attention to over the past decade.
In the past year alone, Focus Ireland has provided support and advice to over 12,300 people in the Republic. Over the past 12 months, the charity’s coffee shop has provided almost 83,000 meals to people in need while 883 families have been successfully moved out of homelessness.
So tonight, for the seventh successive year, I’ll take to a sleeping bag – on the garden deck (as was the case last year) – and play my small part in highlighting the reality faced by those living with homelessness in addition to the supports Focus Ireland provides them.
And it’s worth pointing out that during 2020, 87 cent out of every €1 donated to Focus Ireland was spent directly on services which both combat and prevent homelessness. So every donation does and will make a difference.
During 2020, family mediation provided by Focus Ireland and funded by the general public prevented 29 young people from entering homelessness. A total of 56 young people exited homelessness while 434 young people engaged with Focus, seeking advice and information.
“Focus will help you,” said Declan. “People who fuck up know they’re fucking up. They know that themselves in the back of their mind, whether they’ll ever admit it or not. This is why they’re so wary of help, or any kind of intervention.
"But when you realise that there are genuine people out there who will help, who’ll put the ointment over the scab and bandage it up. Life does get easier. And the difference myself and the kids have gone through since moving here (Grange Cohan) – you just wouldn’t believe it…
“I’ve been around a long time; I’ve dealt with a lot of people in my time and I know when someone is genuine. The eyes don’t lie. I know when someone is bullshitting me. I know the difference. The worker who dealt with us on a daily basis was genuine, was straight and was actually on your side. You got this, you felt this and in time I came to realise that the workers here were actually here to help and not to pry or look for problems. They weren’t sticking their nose in. They were actually helping us.”
With Declan’s account well embedded in my memory , coupled with the kindness and good humour exemplified by Focus Ireland’s Waterford team, sleeping out for one night of the year feels like the very least that I can do.
Thanks to all who have supported me yet again – with particular thanks to Donal Moore and Ciara Flynn - for shining a light in my direction when it came to homelessness.
To support my Shine A Light Night 2021 sleep-out, please visit: https://shinealight.focusireland.ie/fundraising/Dermot-Keyes
And if you or someone you know needs support from Focus Ireland, please call the Waterford office on 0864171160 or email waterfordservices@focusireland.ie
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