Our annual ‘Green Jar’ charity collection is made during the seasons of Advent and Christmas each year.
This year, our chosen charity is ‘Trust Ireland’. We were fortunate some years ago to have Alice Leahy meet and speak with us about the wonderful work undertaken by the charity day by day, year after year.
We would ask that you give as generously as possible to support the work of this charity which, this year, is working 36 years to help homeless people in Dublin. Please take some time to read about the work of Trust below. Thank you.
TRUST is a non-political, non-denominational voluntary body set up in 1975 as a private charitable trust (Charity No.CHY7014) to provide medical and related services for people who are homeless. We work in premises provided at a nominal rent by the Iveagh Trust. Up to 50 men and women call each morning, the majority of whom are sleeping out (age 18 to 85). We see new people daily and often have people calling who were housed – settled- and become homeless again.
Washing facilities are available and each month we give out in excess of 500 outfits of clothing to people who are homeless as part of our total health service. Members of the public, Rotary and church groups donate the clothes and shoes.
Developing a Sense of Self-Worth
We encourage and help people who come to us to avail of statutory services and to obtain their entitlements; to place a value on themselves; to develop a sense of self esteem and avoid dependence on private charity.
Helping to Create a Society where Everyone is Important
We see a major part of our work is in the field of advocacy or promoting more awareness of the outsiders amongst us, and the creation of this web site and our Transition Year Project and Essay Competition grew directly out of that commitment. We are a relatively small agency but through our work we have gained valuable insights and using our experience we try in different ways to bring that into the wider community and seek to effect change.
For example, we have been intensely involved in prison and psychiatric work since the beginning of Trust. In 1998, Trust Director Alice Leahy was invited to join the National Crime Forum.
Trust is on the Consultative Board of the Homeless Initiative and is involved in on-going training of specialist groups.
We make submissions in response to requests from government agencies and are involved in relevant research on the issues relating to homelessness. Trust feels that some agencies involved with people who are homeless may not respect everybody’s right to the confidential use and storage of information. Some people who are homeless feel pressurised to take part in research into homelessness in case they may lose their hostel bed or their entitlements.
Trust only participates in research when we believe the research design is sound, ethical and likely to provide useful information.