Former Georgian Hotel to be converted into Homeless Shelter

Dreams Do Come True - "When you dream, write it up, work hard to achieve it, believe in it and NEVER GIVE UP, then you're sure to achieve it" - Maria Sheridan

Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable... Every STEP toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.Martin Luther King, Jr.

Since my experience of being homeless I have always said that the grubby dark aged Hostels need to be done away with, we can then instil some hope within people, they can then begin to expect better times ahead and not feel that this is their lot, so when they stop off at a hostel they can feel this is the stepping stone to a better life, this is the "New beginning" they'd always dream't about.  
I'm pleased to announce that Simon Community yet again are leading the way.  One of my Dear friends sent me this Article which made my heart leap.  I'm really grateful to Lisa Wint (Barrett) who thought enough about me to forward this article. Lisa is currently studying Psychology in London, She is a wonderful Mum and Wife working towards her own dreams.

Former Georgian Hotel to be converted into Homeless Shelter........

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/former-georgian-hotel-to-be-converted-into-homeless-shelter-1.1962245

Michael D Higgins our Dear President said at the Action For Justice Campaign in 2012 that he himself should be able to walk into a Homeless shelter and be able to say " If I had need of accommodation of this nature I could live here for a week or two" . I'm delighted to see that a lead has been taken and standards are being raised. We need to continue to raise the bar.  We need to continue to provide our human family with their basic rights to living.  

Check out what Simon Community are up to: 

http://www.dubsimon.ie/?gclid=CjwKEAjw2f2hBRCdg76qqNXfkCsSJABYAycPV1WKk4XaBo6VNxb8GiPh6eON4pLnKXEymwdNmZszURoC8Prw_wcB

“What I see is not what I Hear”

“What I see is not what I Hear” – Maria Sheridan©

The 2014 face of homelessness in Ireland

Article by The Irish Times Social Affairs. First published: Sat, Apr 26, 2014, 09:29

There are few more graphic illustrations of the plight of the homeless than two harrowing stories published this week in this newspaper. One recounts how a mother and her five children have spent the past three months in a hotel room in west Dublin. Another how, for the past week, a mother and her three children have lived and slept in a car.

People will indeed ask, how this can happen in 2014; where home is a hotel room used to accommodate a young family of six; or where home is a car - a desperate last resort for a family of four. Both these stories suggest that a new dimension to the homelessness problem is now unfolding – one in which children increasingly feature. In Dublin, more than 170 families, including 500 children, have been allocated temporary hotel accommodation by the local authorities, and they join an ever- lengthening queue for social housing.

Homelessness has all too many tragic human aspects, and a variety of causes. Ill-health or unemployment, family breakup, or unsustainable debt burden are often the precipitating factors. Those who become homeless struggle to adjust to their new status. The dispossessed become wholly reliant on the state or on private charities for accommodation.

Unfortunately, the state cannot cope with the soaring demand for social housing. The figures are stark – some 90,000 households are on the social housing waiting list - and the gap between demand and supply continues to widen. In the first three quarters of last year, a mere 253 social housing units were built, compared with 5,000 in 2007. The solution, however, is not simple: analysis is easier than prescription – given the economic constraints facing the State as the Government brings the public finances back into balance.

As the economy has begun to recover, the property market has finally stabilised. However, as too few new houses are being built to meet rising demand, house prices have risen and private rents have increased. Tenants who rely on rent supplement allowance find they must top up the state contribution in order to meet their rental payments. For many, renting has become less and less affordable, and the risk of dispossession has increased.

As landlords have also become reluctant to accept such tenants, this adds to shortage of rental accommodation for those in greatest need of social housing. Minister of State for Housing Jan O’Sullivan has suggested rent controls as part of the solution, but these could face a constitutional challenge. The National Asset Management Agency (Nama) has identified 4,653 residential properties as potentially suitable for social housing. But so far just 518 properties have been delivered.

Local authorities have the primary responsibility to meet the social housing needs in their area. But they have failed to do so. “It is time for the Government to take the initiative in order to avert what is fast becoming a national crisis”!!!

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/the-2014-face-of-homelessness-in-ireland-1.1775326

My own thoughts on this:

Look around you as you walk to your Jobs, take note of the vacant properties, so many properties that could be put to great and good use…….Why I ask are there people on the streets and in grubby, dark ages, dungeon like properties? The more I read about what’s not being done the curiosa and curiosa I’m becoming. I just don’t get it when I’m told we can’t give people homes willy nilly we have to have support and we don’t have it to give because we can’t afford to employ the people to support……poppy to that, look at all the volunteers already part of charities who would give support to those in need of support however all I needed was a low paying rental until I got on my feet, I didn’t need support or professional help.  SO MANY THAT ARE IN THE SAME SITUATION AS MYSELF WHO DON’T NEED SUPPORT ARE STILL ON THE STREETS – HOW DO THE PEOPLE IN OUR GOVERNMENT SLEEP AT NIGHT???

At the launch of Crosscare's action for justice Campaign in 2012 a Campaign in which I led a workshop on Homelessness in Ireland Our President Michael D Higgins Had this to say:

“We are now about renewing our Republic by reaffirming the values which bind us together as a community; recasting our institutions and our structures to serve the people; and finding a new model to guide our economic and social development. This is not about fixing something which was broken. It is about finding something new and durable that links the policies and programmes of the civil authorities; the energies and efforts of our enterprise sector; the rich diversity of communities, networks and organisations which make up Irish civil society; and do it all in a way which affirms and respects the dignity of each citizen and underlines their rights and responsibilities”.       

You can find his full speech on the link below.

http://www.president.ie/speeches/crosscare-conference-action-for-justice-2012/

Like I said before, these are all only words, I want to find out WHAT our government are doing to follow up on and through with what should be done!  What I see is not what I hear.

What's happening

WHATS HAPPENING IN IRELAND WITH THE HOMELESSNESS CRISIS!!!

I have been looking back at some of my post’s over the past couple of years, and I can see my personal progress, as I read the promises I made to myself, I hear the Voice I have become for those that requested, I want it to be louder, meaning I really want to let my voice be heard and so I have created this Blog and from this my book will emerge. There are so many great charities out there doing great things for amazing people who just happen to be down on their luck. Imagine or could you even imagine how you or another human being, someone you know who you speak to on a daily basis could end up homeless, what would your life be like what would their lives be like, to find yourself without a roof over your head a bed to sleep in? What if you lost your spouse, your child? What if you lost your job? What would you do if your rent supplement was cut and you had no other way out of a debt? And What if you ended up suffering from a mental health illness or suffered with god forbid an addiction? I’m looking at many types of homelessness here, however I have categorised them in two sections, homelessness in a state of being (mental health, addiction, abuse etc.) and homelessness in a state of transition, (circumstantial).  

These are the stories most homeless charities hear every day. Homelessness is only one to two wage packets away for most people, especially in these uncertain and tough times. It can happen to anyone. Homelessness is never a choice there’s always a story there’s always a circumstance. It happened to me, it could happen to anyone!

There are charities out there that are focused solely on providing support to people living in these despairing circumstances, which enable them to rebuild their desperate lives and empower them to secure a safe home of their own. Developing services are available tackling the root and helping get to the causes of homelessness, these charities are also providing permanent housing options, support and preventative services that can help move people out of homelessness for good.

Let me repeat myself somewhat these are the PEOPLE you walk by every day, people you would talk to every day, family and friends,  no one is exempt from the possibility of homelessness. Have you EVER stopped to talk to one of these people on the street? I have! MOST people I spoke to didn’t start off drunk, on drugs, in hospitals, or in care etc., for most its survival that they turn to vices and not a way of life they would have chosen had circumstances been different, it chose them, mostly they were like you and I. Had Job, maybe a mortgage, family etc. then the circumstances happened…they became homeless because of the reasons mentioned and I myself relate to this. I am strong and wisely resisted the temptation to drink or do drugs, I resisted the temptation to take my own life when the circumstance presented its ugly head, so many people do end up going from “Homeless in a state of transition to being Homeless in a state of being” and its present in our streets and Hostels, hostels that are below par.  

With five of the treaties set in place of which I will highlight over the next week. How many more people are going to end up in this scenario before the Government take note that this will become an epidemic if nothing is done? 

So what IS being done?

The main Charities

Simon community, Focus Ireland, SVP, Crosscare, and ICHH are all on the ground helping both those homeless in Transition and in a State of Being!

I am going to be keeping a close eye on what each of these amazing charities are doing, how you can get involved and I will be looking at communities and what they are doing to help! There are so many great people doing great things and there are also lots of success stories that are happening. I’m part of my own success story.

Simon Community in a recent statement said they believe we could with application have everyone off the streets it’s achievable!

I will also be keeping you up-to-date on a song that was recorded for Charity “One more for the road” written by Shane Lynch of Boyzone and recorded by over 50 Irish artists including myself.

The Government
 

Published on Thursday 21st February 2013

Minister O’Sullivan Sets Goal of 2016 to End Long-Term Homelessness

Today (Thursday 21st February) Minister for Housing and Planning Jan O’Sullivan set 2016 as the target for ending long-term homelessness. Minister O’Sullivan was speaking at the launch of the Government’s Homelessness Policy Statement at the Custom House in Dublin this morning.

Minister O’Sullivan said, “Homelessness is an affront to every value that we assign to the concept of citizenship. In a real republic there is an onus on us all to ensure that all citizens have a place they can call home.”

“As Minister for Housing, I am committed to ending long-term homelessness and today I am setting 2016 as the target date. Achieving this important goal in the year that marks the centenary of the 1916 Rising is something I would urge everyone to support.

In addition to setting 2016 as the target for ending long-term homelessness the Homelessness Policy Statement also puts the “housing-led” philosophy at the centre of policy in this area.

“Housing-led approachs to homelessness provide better outcomes for people. The idea behind the policy is that people are provided with long-term, stable housing as early as possible. It moves away from the traditional ‘staircase’ model which sees individuals and families move between various stages, including emergency accomodation, before eventually securing an appropriate place.

“The housing-led approach has the capacity to assist people break the cycle of poverty and homelessness by providing them with stability and security. Providing them with additional support to sustain their tenancies is also a critical part of the approach. By moving away from over-reliance on expensive emergency accomodation the “housing-led” strategy can also provide better value for the significant amount of public money invested in homeless services.

Minister O’Sullivan also announced details of the oversight group that will review the progress achieved in tackling homelessness. The group consists of:

Mark Kennedy (Chair)

Sylda Langford

Tony Fahey

Concluding the launch of the policy Minister O’Sullivan said, “The dignity and equality of people has always been a fundamental political principle for me. I strive, in all my political activity, to have that principle at the heart of my thinking, and this is particularly true when dealing with homelessness. The challenge we have set in this Policy Statement is ambitious, and I look forward to working with all partners in the sector to ensuring that we achieve our goal.”

The Report 

http://www.merrionstreet.ie/index.php/2013/12/today-the-homeless-oversight-group-published-its-first-report/

I am going to follow up on what is actually going on and are these policies been followed up on and followed through, what is the government doing if anything and are these policies just all words and no action?

Maria Sheridan “ I am Somebody” ©

“See it, Say it, believe it, believe it, Become it” ©

Here are some photos, some are pretty disturbing Photos of  what I personally experienced in one Hostel of which I believe is now closed down. 

Pay it Forward

12. Pay it Forward: "I give with my soul in gratitude to my benefactors gone before me and I the beneficiary, I give with the only expectation that the concept of giving continues and the only receipt being that of joy in seeing lives change for the better". – Maria Sheridan 

“If you can’t feed a hundred people, then just feed one.”  - Mother Teresa

I now have 12 steps to what is needed to possess an Attitude of Gratitude that I know will inspire and uplift you. You also have a space in your own life to write your own gratitude’s. If you truly want to make a difference to others then I recommend these 12 steps. It is my goal that when the book is born that it will reach the four corners of the earth.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to create “THE” book and for the circumstances which brought me to the point of taking action. Remember you are AMAZING you are FULL of LOVE, YOU ARE FANTASTIC; YOU POSESS AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE. And YOU ARE WORTHY OF IT! Now PAY IT FORWARD.

EXERPTS FROM MY JOURNAL:

29 January 2013

It’s been a while since I have written here. I have had a difficult time re-visiting this time last year and re-living for the sake of the book the same emotions. I really didn’t understand what a dark place I was in because the light is shining so bright in my life right now. It is not just the darkness of my own story; you live through other people’s stories too especially those you share a room with. I was very blessed that I am stronger than I give myself credit for, and that I got out of that part of a system quickly. I know that when out of the Social Welfare System altogether, I will be totally free. However I can think of several other worse situations to be in. Still in a state of transition no longer homeless, but still in transition non-the-less, I thank my Lord…..I thank him for saving me from a life termed homeless in a state of being!

I have struggled emotionally whilst writing and have been hitting brick walls writers block it seems! I'm finding it difficult to deal with the emotion. I never really dealt with what was happening or spoke to anyone really because I just wanted to get through it! I wanted to keep my head up and run to my goal of getting a home, securing some work and earning an honest income. I didn't deal with the emotion I just kept my eye on that goal. Today I spoke to a Coach, Howard Hughes, we are going to be working together on helping me sort this out ,get focused on the goal of getting this book finished with the tools I have at hand. Sometimes you have to accept that you need help in order to move forward. So grateful to Howard for reaching out. XxMxX ♥ ;-)

https://www.facebook.com/ThePathIChoose

http://www.thepathichoose.biz/ http://www.thepathichoose.com/

9 February 2013

Today I explained to my daughter that I am going getting some focus on writing my book and dealing with the emotion of what I went through.

I explained about going to work with Howard and that there is no shame with opening up if you need help dealing with any emotional upset in our lives. I know she understood! I haven't been able to be this open about what it was like because I am only feeling it in reality now! Sometimes I laugh sometimes I cry, other times when I see how dangerous it was in that first nine days, I feel that fear and then embrace my strength.

I truly don't expect anyone that thinks they know me or even those that do know me to understand why the Heck I put myself through such an ordeal and it wasn't to get attention, I could think of a much better way to get attention than being Homeless. I did it to gain back my independence and now to be a voice for those who can't find theirs!

I have met some amazing and real people; I have met the most desperately unfortunate people and thee most humblest and kind people. I am grateful for these experiences and I find strength in every step forward! Thank you to my family for your love and support and my daughter Rebekah for trying to understand. I love her so much xxMxx ♥

Believe

11. Believe: “Act with a purpose, have confidence in the truths that surround you, and then in the absence of proof that they exist, just BELIEVE” – Maria Sheridan

“Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you”! 

-Dr Seuss

We have the ability and capability to believe in ourselves.

ELAINE S. DALTON said “Believe in yourselves; believe that you are never alone”. Believe that you will always be guided”.

We do not need the approval of others, we do not need because we just are! What I mean is we are noble and royal in our own right “believe it”. We are infinite and eternal capable of doing anything we put our minds to and our back into it! Self-belief and hard work towards our goals and dreams are within our grasp, within our making, within our doing! As the great Nike ad say’s “Just Do It” I would add because you CAN!

Excerpts from My Journal

11^th January 2012 

I felt like I was on death row. I felt like a failure, I felt humiliated, withdrawn, withheld, as far away from life but very aware I had no home and felt emptiness, abandonment and a hole so deep only for the company of my daddy and his direction I was like a robot making my way to a homeless unit to register as Homeless.

January a year ahead I got up out of my bed in my Apartment and received a call to go into work in an emergency. Work, Home, Bed. Three things a person shouldn't ever take for granted. I'm no alcoholic, not a battered wife, not a mental Health patient nor a criminal just out of Jail nor am I drug dependent, I had experienced maybe not a new kind of Homeless state however a homeless type that Ireland doesn't have a word to describe. I was what I now term as middle class homeless, homeless in a state of transition not a state of being! Today is a a very Bright day. I love you Dad for Being in my life without you and Mum that day I doubt I be here today XxMxX ;-) ♥ eternally grateful!

12 January 2013

There's times you just know that someone's looking out for you above, today is one of those days. I'm falling in and out of memories of last year this time last year. I'd spent my first night in a dirty, filthy, mankey Hostel, it was Dark, smelly from puke, pee, alcohol, drugs etc., it was dark, dreary, full of random screams, shouts and a language I was unfamiliar with. I'm not a fearful person, however, I felt fear and I felt lonely and alone. Today I may still have to face fear in the eye once in a while, however I know I'm not alone and I know I am loved. I'm grateful for experience, I wouldn't wish to go back but I have no regrets. XxMxX ;-) ♥

19 January 2013

Today whilst I'm grateful to be, and grateful for so many things I'm still feeling the intensity of this day last year and the dark walk I had to take this morning last year. I was (for the want of a less intense explanation) Suicidal! It was a brief and passing intense thought as I passed over The River Liffey without Jumping in, but the thought was present, then I very quickly thought of why, why was this happening, why me, is there a purpose this fell upon my door and what can I do with this. I was mad, enraged that I was being treated this way, and thought if I had to go back to that Grubby Hell hole they call a shelter, I'd be joining the drinkers and then I wouldn't have to care. What helped get me through? Phone calls from a friends, My Family ( mum, dad, Sister and Family, Jean, Aoife, and Rebekah) Aoife and Jean each going through their own pains and suffering still reaching out still finding time to call. I will be forever grateful to ALL-that did! There are others but funny never who you expect but always who you need at the time! The people above were my constants, these people where in my face constantly encouraging me till I found my feet again! My parents literally putting the phone in my hand to the girl looking after my case, I told her I'd rather be on the streets than go back to the Hostel and she understood and told me to leave it with her. This day night last year I walked into the arms of Angels. When I did I felt hope again! XxMxX ♥ :-) I am so grateful to be alive and to Share this Story! Much love!

https://www.focusireland.ie/?gclid=Cj0KEQjwzK6hBRCbzLz_r_f-3tkBEiQA-zyWsE06zLV3kiT_zg7EHC7OSl88jWvUN1dY7p22jKYda8MaAr_t8P8HAQ

http://www.dubsimon.ie/?gclid=Cj0KEQjwzK6hBRCbzLz_r_f-3tkBEiQA-zyWsG81Lymb7rGiSE8uVPR-KfbqeKyx4I497dHlZW9z9B4aAjeC8P8HAQ