While most of us will spend the next few weeks rushing around buying presents and decorating our homes for the arrival of Christmas, an estimated 11,000 people in Ireland are sleeping in shelters, on the streets or in temporary accommodations. Their scene is not so festive.
Christmas is an incredibly difficult time for homeless people. It isn't just that the weather is freezing, which can raise a whole host of potential health issues. It is lonely too. The festive season is a time for family and community - something that those living on the streets often don’t have. Christmas can instead become a period of severe mental and physical difficulty.
While it is always a good idea to help the homeless at any time of the year, at Christmas it is definitely worth considering going the extra mile. What are the best ways to help people who need it in your town or city?
Volunteer for a charity
If you want to take a more active role in helping the homeless - you can donate time instead of money. There are plenty of well organised projects that can help you find a suitable role in. Whether it’s working in a soup kitchen or shelter. To find suitable roles you can visit your county’s volunteer website. Dublin’s volunteering website can be found here.
Donating Christmas Gifts
To help homeless families prepare for Christmas, toys and gifts to charities are always welcome. You can donate to any local homeless shelter. Furthermore, the Peter McVerry trust have stated that One4All vouchers are a great donation as they empower those in receipt of a voucher to make their own choices.
Support and Prevention
If you see someone who is experiencing homelessness, you can contact your local Simon Community. If you know someone who is struggling with their housing situation, you can encourage them to contact their local Simon Community. They can help in these circumstances.
Take the Time to Talk
A lot of people are going to be sitting on and begging on the streets at some point over the Christmas period. Taking the time out of your day to be compassionate and talk to someone living on the streets offers some form of relief from the hours of isolation, loneliness and sleep deprivation.
Of course, it is great if you can offer them some food or hot drink, or try and direct them to a shelter or professional help. But, on a base level, human interaction is fundamental to helping people feel a bit better - which is the very least anyone deserves at Christmas.
Dublin Region Homeless Executive has an online system whereby people can report the location of a rough sleeper in the capital. This reporting system can be found here.
What Can I Do To Help?
There are many ways in which you can support Secret Street Tours. You can take one of our tours here to experience Dublin alongside one of our fantastic guides. You can support us by making a donation or make a regular donation by becoming a patron here.
Sharing our Tours with friends and family or on social media is another great way to spread the word about the work we are doing.
We would like to also say a huge thank you for your ongoing support and contributions.
Resources to Educate Yourself, Donate or Volunteer
Written by Molly Hunt, 18th November 2022
