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The post The WHO’s Plot to Seize Power Over Nation States in Future Pandemics Must Be Stopped appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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The post Easter Quiz: Why Are White Things So White? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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The post Record Ozone “Holes” Reported Despite 35-Year CFC Ban appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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The post Heart Scarring Detected Over One Year After COVID-19 Vaccination, Two New Studies Find appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

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Cillian Murphy launches awareness campaign on homelessness for Focus Ireland

category national | public consultation / irish social forum | press release author Monday February 23, 2004 16:56author by Roughan Mac Namara - Focus Irelandauthor email rmcnamara at focusireland dot ieauthor address 9-12 High Street, Dublin 8author phone 01 8815 900 Report this post to the editors

ACTOR CILLIAN MURPHY HELPS LAUNCH MAJOR PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN FOR FOCUS IRELAND TO HIGHLIGHT THE GROWING PROBLEM OF HOMELESSNESS

· Research shows 85% of pubic believe the problem has got much worse in last 10 years and 78% think not enough is done to help people who are homeless.


Actor Cillian Murphy today (Monday 23rd Feb) helped launch a major public awareness campaign for the charity Focus Ireland to highlight the growing problem of homelessness and social housing crisis in Ireland. Latest figures show record totals of at least 5,581 (2002) people homeless while there’s 48,413 households (Aprox 140, 000 people) on the housing waiting lists without a proper place to call home

The awareness campaign uses an innovative twist on the concept of tourism plaques marking where famous people once lived by using the names of homeless people instead and showing examples of places they lived on the street. The campaign - devised by Chemistry Advertising - will feature billboards, press adverts and over 100 replica plaques will be put up for a short period over the coming week.

Speaking at the launch Cillian – Star of movies Intermission and Cold mountain - said: “Homelessness has a terrible impact on people’s lives and more urgent action needs to be taken to tackle the problem effectively. I hope this campaign by Focus Ireland helps the public and politicians to see more needs to be done.” The Cork born actor was joined at the launch by Des Hirsch who was homeless and living in his car last year after losing his job and house due to illness. Des has since secured a home with the help of Focus and also got a job when an article he featured in was spotted by an old friend.

Des said: “The Government clearly isn’t doing enough to solve homelessness and people in need are on their own as far as their concerned. I have four children, I had a home, worked in business and benefited from a good education. Ill health resulted in me losing my job and my home and I’m one of the lucky ones as things have worked out for me but my case shows what can be done when the right services and support are in place.”

He added: “I hope this campaign helps make people realise anyone can become homeless and we need more support and housing available to stop this from happening.” Focus Ireland is disappointed to note that Ireland is still one of the few countries in Europe without a right to housing either in legislation or in the Constitution. This is despite the record totals of people homeless and on the housing waiting lists. Focus is running a Right To A Home campaign urging people to log on to www.focusireland.org read our demands letter, key in their local constituency and send it to all their local TDs asking them what they’re doing about the issues. Over 4,000 e-mails have been so far sent to TDs nationwide. In direct response to the campaign the Government has insisted it’s bringing about positive change in housing provision. Focus Ireland welcomes the fact there have been some improvements in the standard of some emergency accommodation and a fall in numbers sleeping rough but maintains more needs to be done as the overall figures are still worse than ever.

Homelessness shot up 9% from 1999 to 2002 and the housing lists rocketed 24% over the same time. Meanwhile in the last Budget there was a staggering 60 million in social welfare cuts. The Government also recently made changes to the rent allowance system including making it no longer available to anyone renting for under 6 months. Orla Barry of Focus Ireland said: “These policies don’t represent “positive change” and will act to force more people into homelessness. The recent cuts in the rent allowance system in particular have already made it even harder for the most vulnerable in our society to keep a roof over their heads. “

Focus Ireland has called for the Government to reverse these regressive policies and borrow €1 billion to increase social housing provision to 7,000 units a year at the very least. A recent Focus Ireland survey found 63% of the public blame the Government for homelessness and 77% want housing provided for people who are homeless regardless of cost. Focus Ireland believes it’s time our politicians starting listening to the public for once.

Related Link: http://www.focusireland.org
author by Michelle Clarke - In search of Social Justicepublication date Mon Feb 23, 2004 23:07author email Michelle33 at eircom dot netauthor address 6 Wellington House, 85 Wellington Road, Dublin 4author phone 086 624 3471Report this post to the editors

Yes, the Government are slack regarding the homeless situation in Ireland.

Focus and other organisations are the social conscience trying to address an issue that merits immediate attention.

I would like to suggest that Mr. McCreevy introduce innovative tax incentives that would encourage those with money, assets, property, etc. to contribute to those without support via agencies like focus.

As for the Catholic Church. If one travels to Europe, Churches remain open and there provide a haven, late into the evening - what has happened in Ireland?

I heart that the Catholic Church in Toyko has been converted in such a way to provide accommodation for the homeless.

In the 1930's and 1940's Archbishop McQuaid built Churches in Dublin that are now vacant. We need serious think tanks to utilise space productively and not have property assets with no purpose.

Ideas ought to abound

Michelle Clarke

author by Sean Crudden - IMPEROpublication date Thu Feb 26, 2004 16:17author email sean at impero dot iol dot ieauthor address Greenore, Co Louthauthor phone 087 9739945Report this post to the editors

Giving a homeless person a room or a flat or a house is not necessarily a panacea for homelessness. It is difficult to live alone. Substandard buildings or a rough environment can lead to drink and depression. There needs to be some kind of developmental strategy in place, too, to answer the individual's homelessness problem

Related Link: http://www.iol.ie/~impero
 
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