"I am Somebody": 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?