SINGER Glen Hansard paid a special visit to Focus Ireland’s Coffee Shop in Temple Bar this week to meet people and hear some of the human stories behind the homelessness crisis.
The Oscar winning star also teamed up with the High Hopes Choir to perform the song ‘Hey Day’, written by the late Mic Christopher, who was a close friend of Hansard.
The High Hopes choir is made up mostly of people who were formerly homeless but now have their own accommodation thanks to the work of Focus Ireland and other agencies.
Speaking during his visit, The Frames frontman said: “It’s great to meet people who have overcome homelessness and now have a place to call home. It’s important to always remember that homelessness is a stage in someone’s life and not a destination.”
He added: “That’s why we wanted to sing ‘Hey Day’ by my friend Mic as it’s a song about hope. It’s a beautiful song that asks why can’t each day be better or at least as good as the day before; that there doesn’t have to be one time in somebody’s life that is great and then it’s downhill.
“People who are going through tough times need something or someone to give them hope; to show them there will be some light ahead when they can leave the bad times behind.”
The singer’s visit came as latest figures show a record total of more than 6,700 people homeless nationwide. This means there are now 1,173 families and 2,426 children homeless in Ireland.
More than 1,000 of these families are in Dublin.
Focus Ireland said that while its family support team helps at least one family to move on from homelessness every day, the reality is that inadequate prevention strategies mean one or two other families become homeless that same day, so the crisis deepens.
The charity believes more can – and must – be done to end the nightmare of homelessness for so many families, children and individuals.
Focus Ireland CEO Ashley Balbirnie said: “Many of us are starting to think about Christmas when we can spend more time with family and friends and enjoy this special time of year at home.
“We all recognise that there is something deeply wrong with our society when nearly 7,000 people don’t have a place they can call home this Christmas. We are not just talking about numbers and statistics here – there’s a human face and a human story behind each statistic. Behind every figure is a real person: a father, a mother, a daughter or son, each of them suffering the ongoing trauma of being homeless and hoping to find a better future.”
People can support Focus Ireland by calling 1850 204 205 or visiting www.focusireland.ie/donate
Glen Hansard plays Vicar Street in Dublin on November 28 and again on the 29th, which will be a special night featuring the songs of Mic Christopher to mark the 15th anniversary of his untimely death in 2001.
