It’s that time again to wish you a Happy New Year. In thanking you for your support in so many ways, I would also like to bring you up to date on recent activities.

  • We have 30 plus men and women calling each morning, the majority sleeping out, aged 18 to 85. We see new people daily – increasing numbers of vulnerable young women. 270 / 300 outfits of clothing are given out every month as part of a holistic service, most of which are donated. Washing facilities are available. We have a chiropody session once a month and have the services of an optician, dentist and local GP’s available to us. Community Psychiatric Nurse and Community Welfare Officers call weekly. Sadly a large number of people using the services of TRUST died during the year.
  • We continue to work in premises provided at a nominal rent by Iveagh Trust. We work closely with voluntary and statutory agencies.
  • I continue to chair the Sentence Review Group. We are represented on the Consultative Board of the Homeless Initiative.
  • Re The Homeless Experience, our one day training pack launched in Spring. Training days take place monthly in Civic Offices and are jointly run by TRUST and Dublin Corporation and some in outside venues. To date, over 150 from voluntary, statutory and community groups have attended from Dublin and outside.
  • The video documentary ‘A Fragile City’ produced by Esperanza Productions, Award winning Film Producers, was shown on RTE in September. Following the launch by Pat Kenny in Dublin Castle courtesy of An Taoiseach, it received widespread publicity and is now available on video – plans are in place for its’ circulation to schools.
  • We acknowledge the contribution made by those in the media and encourage them to look behind statistics at the humanity of people who find themselves homeless.
  • Amongst those who visited during the year were the Right Hon The Lord Mayor, Councillor Mary Freehill, who spent a morning with us, as did Chief Superintendent Catherine Clancy, Community Relations, Garda Siochana and Senior Management from Eastern Health Board and Dublin Corporation.
  • At a time when there are diverse views on homelessness, and continuity of contact is upset by a shifting workforce our biggest challenge is to retain the personal touch by delivering our service through familiar faces. To do this well, we believe we must resist the temptation to expand.

We are satisfied that TRUST helps to make life easier for some of the most isolated people in our city and beyond. Everyone in TRUST would like to thank you for making our work possible.

Kind Regards,
Alice Leahy – Director