A group of people in a Co Kildare town are now returning home after sleeping rough in heavy rain since 7pm yesterday in a bid to highlight the homeless crisis.
In Newbridge, overnight, a group of people slept in tents outside the town hall, while the rain poured down, in a desperate bid to get the government to take action on an issue that Joe Burke of Housing Action Kildare says is 'daily getting worse.'
Housing Action Kildare joined forces with Focus Ireland in the national campaign to get people to pay attention to the worsening crisis in our country.
In Newbridge, last night, Lexi King, soon to turn six, came along to support her mother, Bernie King and aunt Independent Cllr Joanne Pender, while they braved the harsh elements to 'shine a light on homelessness'.
Independent Cllr Joanne Pender is deeply concerned about the devastation that the impact of emergency accommodation is having on children.
There are now over 3,000 children in emergency accommodation around the country with 8,000 people in Ireland now homeless.
Rapidly rising rents, low wages, landlords unwilling to accept Housing Assistance Payments and most of all the lack of social housing are all being cited as factors in the crisis level of people homeless in this country.
Cllr Pender says now more than ever, people are struggling to feed their children. Parents are not eating so their children can eat and so they can make the mortgage payments. Low wages she says are leaving people vulnerable to the risk of homelessness.
She said: "I don't think the budget has done anything for people in dire need."
Cllr Pender is pushing for the allocation of more much needed social housing.
Co Kildare based singer songwriter Andy Hall joined members of Housing Action Kildare last night to sing songs and pay tribute to all those forced to sleep in B&Bs, hotels, parks, doorways and to those who have died in this country, because of homelessness.
He said: "The homeless situation in Ireland and Co Kildare is just terrible."
Mr Hall, a singer/songwriter, who has performed around the world, is originally from Stoke- on -Trent, and now lives in Naas. The musician who has played support to the likes of Darren Hayes from Savage Garden, is performing a cover of Simon & Garfunkel's The Sound of Silence, to pay tribute to the 8,000 people now homeless in Ireland and shine a light on homelessness in Co Kildare.
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