Talk on homeless crisis
AT the invitation of Wexford Lions Club President Dan Redmond, Reverend Peter McVerry visited Clonard Church to give a talk on the homelessness crisis to over 250 attendees.
Fr McVerry discussed some of the key issues related to the crisis in Ireland and spoke about past experiences.
Lions Club committee member Rosemary Hayes said: ‘ There has been a 36 per cent increase on homelessness since December 2015. There are over 198,358 homes vacant in Ireland and 6,412 of them are in Wexford.
‘Calls have been made to the Minister for Housing to introduce vacant property tax and to establish local authority Empty Homes Officers.’
Fr McVerry spoke for 45 minutes without notes followed by a short question and answer session with club members, representatives of the Wexford Women Refuge and the general public.
‘He was well received by everyone as he is very easy-going and thoughtful. It was a very thought provoking lecture for everyone who came to it,’ said Rosemary.
President Dan Redmond said Fr. McVerry’s talk really opened people’s minds, especially when he recalled the situation where a mother and her four-year-old child were made homeless one morning.
‘Homlessness is a huge problem that has increased greatly since the 1970s, said the local Lions Club President, He said that Fr McVerry pointed out that the problem is greater than the statistics suggest, as some people are not recorded as homeless ‘ because of maybe staying on a couch somewhere’.
Bishop Dennis Brennan and Canon Arthur Minion were among the attendance at the talk in Clonard church.
‘It was a non-religious and non-political lecture so it was great to see the Bishop there. We never have people there as guest of honours as we, the Lions Club, are not about that,’ Rosemary said.
Admission was free to the event but donations were made on the night to the Peter McVerry Trust – the charity set up by Fr McVerry to reduce homelessness and the harm caused by drug misuse and social disadvantage.
‘Financially we got a brilliant response as people gave generously to the charity. Fr McVerry was given a substantial cheque to go towards the Trust’s work in helping the homeless,’ said Dan Redmond.