Tomorrow night, over 480 adults and children will be spending another evening in emergency homeless accommodation in Galway, while 44 Galway Business Leaders are preparing their sleeping bags to raise funds for COPE Galway’s Homeless Services.
With homelessness intensifying across the country, the local charity has described this winter as being especially challenging in Galway. ‘The homelessness crisis is not letting up unfortunately,’ said Sinead Carey, COPE Galway’s Head of Homeless Service.
"This is most starkly illustrated by our accommodation services being consistently full and a more than doubling of the numbers of people availing of our day centre and outreach services. We are providing approximately 50 people with food and other essential supports daily.’
Tomorrow Friday, December 6, COPE Galway Business Leaders’ Sleep Out participants will spend 12 hours on the streets of Galway City. The aim is to draw attention to the issue of homelessness in Galway, to generate an understanding of what it is to sleep out on the streets in winter and to raise essential funds to make sure the charity can continue to respond to these challenges and offer vital supports for people who find themselves affected by homelessness.
Last year, funds raised helped COPE Galway’s professional teams to offer comprehensive support to 1,278 people in Galway of all ages and backgrounds.
‘Our ‘Helping Kids First’ team works to meet the specific needs of children whose emotional, mental, physical and educational development are impacted by long stays in emergency accommodation,’ Sinead continued. ‘Thanks to funds raised, we have developed homework clubs and can offer children opportunities to have fun and do ‘normal things’ like go to the cinema and attend activity camps. The children we work with just want to have normal experiences, the same as their peers and the support of the Galway community allows us to help provide these.’
‘Small changes can transform lives,’ added Martin, another team member, who highlighted the impact of funds used to enhance the outdoor space at COPE Galway’s Family Hub. ‘Having a beautiful garden like this, where the children can play and adults can relax, has therapeutic benefits and goes a long way to making things homely.’
Sharon Fitzpatrick, Head of Development at COPE Galway, commends the Galway Business Leaders who have taken on the challenge: ‘Forty-four business people from diverse sectors across Galway have put themselves forward to help COPE Galway address such a challenging and pervasive problem. I am hugely appreciative of each business leader and the support they have garnered. Without doubt, we are stronger when we work together and the COPE Galway Business Leaders’ Sleep Out is a great example of this."
Participant, Tim Jones, CEO of SymPhysis Medical agrees. "This night is about remembering how vital, basic human needs – safety, warmth, shelter – are to us all.
"Spending a night without the comfort of my home is a small gesture, but it serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience required to endure these challenges every day. By joining this event, I want to help COPE Galway continue its vital work, bring more visibility to homelessness, and encourage others to think about how they can make a difference, too."
"Homelessness creates stress and uncertainty, and is a traumatic experience for anyone living through it," Sinead Carey added. "Last Friday, we learned that, shockingly, almost 15,000 people are homeless in Ireland. The housing crisis makes it very hard for anyone to break loose from the cycle of homelessness. With the help of the funds raised by these Business Leaders and the support of the community, we are doing all we can to make the situation more bearable for every person we work with."
If you know one of the Business Leaders who will Sleep Out over 12 hours in Galway City for the 13thannual COPE Galway Business Leaders’ Sleep Out, please support them.Find their page to donate at copegalwaysleepout.ie
