People across The Avondhu readership area are being urged to donate to Focus Ireland’s Christmas appeal, which was launched this week, highlighting a record number of over 2,400 children and nearly 1,200 families that are homeless nationwide.
Sister Stan Kennedy, who lunched the charity’s Christmas appeal which is using the slogan ‘Homelessness. We can’t live like this anymore’, said it breaks her heart to think nearly 2,500 children will be homeless on Christmas Day this year.
“I know from meeting families who are homeless that we support, it is the children who feel it the worst. Many times a family who are homeless are often squeezed into one hotel room, three or four people in one room, nowhere to cook or for children to play,” she added.
The charity said this Christmas will be a challenging time, as demand for its services continues to rise following the charity’s busiest year ever last year, when it supported 12,500 people who were homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Eighty-nine cents of every euro received by the charity goes directly to supporting people.
Donations can be made online at www.focusireland.ie or by calling 1850 204 205.
