The chairperson of chamber member, Drogheda Homeless Aid, has welcomed a report that business people consider homelessness a “critical or significant issue” for 97 per cent of Irish businesses.
However, Paul Murphy said that there was still a long way to go in harnessing the attitude into real action on the ground. He said it was a fact of life that while the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic had faded in the public memory, it was still hitting organisations like Homeless Aid very hard. There was a day-to-day struggle by the management and staff to keep its services in operation 24/7 despite the assistance of Louth County Council, Meath County Council, the HSE and the general public.
One element of the survey showed that 83 per cent of business leaders believes the Government should prioritise long-term social housing in the upcoming Budget.
Businesses identified key ways they could contribute – from advocating for affordable housing policies, to offering employment opportunities for people who lived the experience of homelessness, and providing financial support.
He has appealed for members of the business community locally to get fully behind the service.
“The dedicated management and staff and the board cannot do all of this on their own. We need business people who have a range of skills from organisational to financial to get involved. Pitch in in some form or other – join the board, give us at-arms-reach ideas and support from your offices, come out and shake the buckets, organise fundraisers. Reach out to us and bring ideas to the party,” he urged.