On Tuesday April 20, a group of mature students from Athlone Institute of Technology are taking to the streets of Athlone to raise awareness and much-needed funds for the Midlands Simon Community.
The group will be fasting and sleeping rough from 4pm to 10am on Church Street, to highlight that homelessness is much more than a housing problem. Anyone living in unfit accommodation, using emergency services, or just sleeping on the floor of a friend’s bedsit is experiencing homelessness. They are robbed of their dignity, privacy, safety, and a sense of belonging.
As homelessness is not always evident on park benches or doorways, society seems to forget there are still people without homes, through no real fault of their own. There is a general misconception that alcohol and drug abuse are the main reasons behind homelessness; unfortunately there are many diverse factors ranging from socio-economic to mental health issues.
In the Celtic Tiger boom of the last decade some people were forgotten about, but now with people losing their homes for a host of different reasons the problem is more prevalent than ever.
According to a report from Merchants Quay Ireland, staggering statistics show that the average homeless person is aged between 26 and 39 years old and an ever younger demographic is emerging, with an average mortality age of just 42 years old.
Despite the reality of homelessness, the Midlands Simon Community, by developing a partnership with the State agencies, is successfully moving people out of homelessness.
There is no illusion that spending one night on the streets of Athlone could come anywhere close to truly replicating the harsh reality as experienced by the homeless community. However there is hope that by creating awareness, attitudes may change and the stigma of homelessness may be lifted. A change in the hearts and minds of the people of the Midlands today may lead to a change across Ireland tomorrow.
Donations may be pledged by calling (087 ) 2493489.
