Winter 2016 Volume 11 Issue 2

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1 openingdoors Winter 2016 Volume 11 Issue 2 Inside this issue: Message from the CEO Opening Doors Campaign Major Recruitment Campaign New Strategic Plan Fundraising News and Events Christmas Cards Our new Christmas card range is now available to view and buy on the charity s online shop at Peter McVerry Trust would like to thank this year s sponsors the Gaiety Theatre and Olympia Theatre. Their sponsorship allows all proceeds from the sale of the cards to go directly towards our efforts to tackle homelessness. Broken Rental System of Major Concern The private rental market continues to be a major cause of concern as the cost of renting increases. In September 2016, the CSO reported the largest monthly increase in the price of private rents since records began in 2003 of 1.9%. Continued increases in the cost of renting have put many low and middle income households under severe pressure and at greater risk of homelessness. In 2015 and in 2016 to date, most new cases of homelessness have arisen as a result of tenants losing their accommodation. Christmas Carol Concert Saturday 3rd December St Patrick s Cathedral, Dublin Peter McVerry Trust is delighted to announce that The Island of Ireland Peace Choir, SpeakUp SingOut Youth Choir and award winning soprano Nickola Hendy will be performing at this year s Christmas Carol Concert. The concert will take place on Saturday, 3rd December, at 7.30pm in St Patrick s Cathedral. The event will be hosted by Pat Kenny and includes a short speech by Fr Peter McVerry. Purchase tickets from Tickets cost each and can be purchased online at shop or by calling +353 (0) Our services: Prevention Services, Housing Services, Homeless Services, Drug Treatment Services and Under 18s Residential Services.

2 Note from Pat Doyle CEO Welcome to the latest edition of Peter McVerry Trust s Opening Doors Newsletter. In this edition you ll find information on our activities since Spring This year, like so many in recent years, has been extremely challenging and a time of great difficulty for the many people who find themselves in homelessness. Homelessness is an incredibly difficult experience for anyone forced to live it. In order to offer those with whom we work the appropriate and best quality supports available, Peter McVerry Trust is reliant on the skills and dedication of our employees. In this Opening Doors newsletter you will find details of our latest recruitment campaign organised by our Human Resources Department. If you or anyone you know is interested in applying for one of our vacancies please visit our website The newsletter also gives coverage on the publication in August of Peter McVerry Trust s Annual Report for The report found that across our services a total of 8,000 participants were supported throughout the year in Dublin and Kildare. The critical element within our new strategic plan is to deliver more housing pathways for people exiting homelessness. In recent weeks, we have also published our new Strategic Plan. This plan, for the period , sets out 7 high level goals to help Peter McVerry Trust deliver our vision of Ireland that supports all those on the margins. The critical element within our new strategic plan is to deliver more housing pathways for people exiting homelessness. This means significant investment and energy being dedicated to securing housing by acquiring, building or leasing homes. This will be extremely challenging and it is a challenge that cannot be met without the support of our donors and friends. Finally, I look forward to seeing you at one of our many events in the coming weeks and months and on behalf of Peter McVerry Trust I wish you, your family and friends Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Pat Doyle CEO New Housing Services in Limerick Peter McVerry Trust has launched a new housing support service in Limerick. The charity has acquired a number of housing units in the City to provide housing pathways for young homeless people. The decision to begin service operations in Limerick followed careful examination of the needs of young people experiencing homelessness. As an organisation that specialises in working with young people from severely deprived areas and with complex individual needs the organisation believes the housing service will fill a gap in existing service provision. As with our housing services in Dublin, Kildare and Laois those moving into the new homes will receive intensive support from our housing staff. Peter McVerry Trust has supported projects in the Moyross area of Limerick in recent years as part of its broader prevention work. This new housing service will be a vital support to young single people who have great difficulty in securing appropriate housing and wrap around support services. New Family Service for Kildare Peter McVerry Trust is set to expand the range of supports available to people in homelessness in the Kildare area. The charity already operates a number of supports in partnership with Kildare County Council including emergency accommodation in Newbridge, the Out of Hours Information and Advice Freephone and Step Down units in Newbridge. Now, Peter McVerry Trust is set to commence work in Athy, Co Kildare on a new family supported temporary accommodation service. The project aims to open before Christmas 2016 and capital works have just commenced at the building in the town in order to create high quality family suites. Peter McVerry Trust also continues to examine ways in which it can respond to the housing needs of people seeking to exit homelessness in Kildare. At present the highly competitive rental system has created a very significant barrier for people in homelessness and the organisation is committed to increasing social housing capacity in Kildare.

3 Peter McVerry Trust Annual Report 2015 In August, Peter McVerry Trust s annual report for 2015 was launched by the Minister for Housing, Simon Coveney TD. The report outlined the major challenges facing people in homelessness and the pressures facing Peter McVerry Trust as it works to support them. Download from The report found that 4,705 unique individuals were supported throughout the year, the highest number in the 32 years of the charity s work. The report also outlined the major increase in the number of residential placements provided through the organisation s homeless services and a significant increase in the number of people accessing drug treatment programmes. The full annual report which includes details of our services, personal testimony from people with whom we work as well as details of our accounts can be found on our website at Peter McVerry Trust Launches New Strategic Plan Peter McVerry Trust s new strategic plan for the period was launched in Buswells Hotel, on October 21st. The launch included a keynote address from Dr Sam Tsemberis, the founder of Pathways to Housing in New York City and creator of the Housing First model to tackling homelessness. The aim of the strategic plan is to advance the organisation s work to tackle homelessness, drug misuse and social disadvantage. Centred on 7 high level goals Peter McVerry Trust has set out to become a leading charity, in terms of the quality of services provided and in the area of charity governance. The plan also sets out ambitious targets to significantly increase the charity s housing stock which is critical in providing secure pathways out of homelessness. NEW RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN Peter McVerry Trust has launched a major new recruitment campaign. The charity is seeking to recruit a significant number of high quality, experienced staff with qualifications in the areas of social care and social work. The recruitment campaign has been launched in order to ensure that staffing levels can keep pace with the demands placed on its housing and homeless services. Peter McVerry Trust is seeking to recruit individuals for a number of areas and full details of the recruitment campaign can be found on the Peter McVerry Trust website (pmvtrust. ie/about-us/vacancies). The charity would appreciate if you could share details of this recruitment campaign with anyone who may be interested in working with the organisation. For further information please call the HR department on +353 (0) or recruitment@pmvtrust.ie

4 openingdoors campaign 2016 Schools Education and Awareness Day Over 240 students from schools across Dublin joined Peter McVerry Trust for our first schools education and awareness day at the Lighthouse Cinema, Smithfield. The students participated in a range of activities and heard a talk from CEO Pat Doyle. Peter McVerry Trust would like to thank the students and teachers from St Paul s CBS, Blackrock College, Clongowes College, Gonzaga College, Mount Temple Comprehensive School and Loreto High School Beaufort. An Evening with Fr Peter McVerry Over 200 people attended An evening with Fr Peter McVerry chaired by Fintan O Toole of the Irish Times. The event saw a special public screening of the documentary Peter McVerry: A View from the Basement followed by an indepth interview with Fr McVerry. The interview gave an insight into the motivations of Fr McVerry, his views on dignity and equality as well as faith and spirituality. These Little Things Keep an eye out for Peter McVerry Trust s cinema ad These Little Things which is running across Irish cinemas until mid- November. The ad created, produced and distributed entirely free of charge focuses on the importance of keys to our lives. You can see the ad and the making of the ad on Peter McVerry Trust s YouTube Channel youtube.com/petermcverrytrust. You can also support the campaign by texting KEYS4HOMES to to donate 4. Peter McVerry Trust would like to offer its sincere gratitude to Wide Eye Media, IAPI, Pull the Trigger and all those who helped deliver this amazing project free of charge.

5 Forum on Media and Homelessness On Thursday 13th October, Peter McVerry Trust held a forum on media and homelessness. The forum examined how homelessness is almost exclusively portrayed in the media as rough sleeping, how that influences the public s understanding and then the political responses to homelessness. This was the start of process which Peter McVerry Trust hopes will result in more accurate and respectful coverage of homelessness in Ireland. The event included contributions from Prof Eoin Devereux (UL) Susan Daly (TheJournal.ie) Joe Little (RTE) Michael Foley (NUJ) and Maria Bailey TD. Corporate Supporters Peter McVerry Trust enjoyed the support of a number of corporate partners, who generously provided time, food and financial support to our Opening Doors campaign. Employees from CarTrawler volunteered at the student education and awareness event on World Homeless Day. Our services were supported as Kellogg s provided hundreds of breakfast products, and Ancestry staff donated 180 lunches in association with Caffé Parigi. The charity is also delighted to have a special chari tee shirt and tote bag designed especially for the campaign by Hairy Baby, with proceeds going to Peter McVerry Trust on all sales until the end of October. We also kick-started our Business of Homes campaign which gives businesses the opportunity to support Housing First, and the provision of homes as a long term solution to homelessness.

6 Fundraising News and Events Challenge Events 2016 Our Irish and overseas challenge events proved very popular in 2016 with record numbers participating in the Long Walk Homes series and our overseas events. Peter McVerry Trust would like to say a special thank you to everyone who took part and helped raise vital funds to support our work. Other events Peter McVerry Trust would like to acknowledge and thank all those who helped to organise events throughout the year to help raise funds for our work. These events are a vital source of support. In particular we would like to thank all those involved in the Calcutta Run and Wexford Cycle. Upcoming Appeals and Events 10th Gala Ball Saturday 5th November The 10th Annual Gala Ball takes place on November 5th in the familiar surrounds of Clontarf Castle Hotel. This event is sponsored by Clontarf Castle, allowing every cent raised to go directly towards supporting people experiencing homelessness. We would like to express our sincere thanks to Clontarf Castle Hotel for their continued generosity. Corporate Christmas Appeal Carol Singing Carol Singing at the GPO in aid of Peter McVerry Trust Sunday 11th December from 10am to 2pm at the GPO, O Connell Street, Dublin 1 Thank you to all who returned a tax form helping us raise an extra 113,710 in A merged tax rate of 31% is now in effect on all donations made by both PAYE and self-assessed donors of 250 or more in one tax year. Further information is available at Christmas Message Peter McVerry Trust would like to wish all our supporters a happy and peaceful Christmas and new year. As the numbers of people experiencing homelessness increases, we are appealing to companies small and large- to partner with Peter McVerry Trust this Christmas season and help people who are urgently in need of housing or support. To find out how your company can help this Christmas, visit or call +353 (0) Challenge Events 2017 Slieve Donard Challenge: Saturday 28th May 2017 Climb the highest of the Mourne Mountains and, if you are lucky you will be rewarded with stunning views from the summit stretching to Isle of Man, the Wicklow Mountains, Wales and Scotland! Great Western Greenway: 28th & 29th April 2017 Walk the 42km route of the renowned Achill to Westport railway. With breath taking scenery the route passes some of the West s most dramatic mountains and offers magnificent views of Clew Bay and its many islands. Trek Camino: September 2017 We will be returning to walk part of the Camino in September. If you are interested in joining us, please contact us. For more information on 2017 challenge events, please contact us on +353 (0) or visit Peter McVerry Trust, 29 Mountjoy Square, Dublin, D01 C2N4 T: (0) E: info@pmvtrust.ie W: Place of registration Dublin, Ireland. Registration number: CLG Charity registration numbers: CHY 7256 /