Ríain Martin

Thanks to your support, my sleep out could provide:

10

hours of one-on-one support for a child with a dedicated Child Support Worker

or

12

nutritious meals in the Focus Ireland Coffee Shop

or

16

hours access to Focus Ireland’s education service PETE (Preparation for Education, Training & Employment)

Mission Statement

Focus Ireland are driven by the fundamental belief that homelessness is wrong. They work with people who need support to avoid becoming homeless and who need help to end their experience of homelessness and move into a safe and secure home. From the very beginning, their work has been rooted in deep listening to people, learning about the problems and risks they face and pointing to where the solutions lie.

I’m sleeping out against homelessness

This October 11, I'll be doing something a little different. I'll be swapping my warm bed for a sleeping bag to take part in a nationwide sleep out to raise awareness and funds for Focus Ireland, the national organisation tackling homelessness in Ireland.

Homelessness has many faces, and it can happen to anyone. A sudden illness, a job loss, a family breakdown - these are just some of the events that can push someone into homelessness, leaving them with uncertainty and fear.

This is why, on October 11, I'll be stepping outside my comfort zone and participating in Focus Ireland’s Shine A Light, proudly supported by Bord Gáis Energy. While a one-night sleep out is certainly not the same, it offers a glimpse into the vulnerability and hardship faced by thousands of people in Ireland without a safe and secure home.

This issue becomes even more heartbreaking when we consider the children who face the uncertainty of homelessness. The thought of over 4,000 children in our community without a stable home is simply unacceptable. A child's life should be filled with dreams, not the stress of where they'll sleep each night.

Please show your support by donating to my fundraising page: every contribution, big or small, gets us closer to creating a future where everyone has a safe place to call home.