DEPAUL NEWS
Volume 3 | Issue 3 | October 2010
Depaul are celebrating our 5th year of operations in Northern Ireland and our 8th in Dublin. In this time we have achieved so much thanks to the dedication of 0ur staff and volunteers. We have celebrated wonderful successes in the lives of those who came to us for support. But looking to the future the challenges are great. We believe that homelessness should not be acceptable in modern society and we will continue to strive to work towards an end to homelessness. In the meantime we will ensure that the 303 people we support each night are given every opportunity to find their own potential and have a better chance at life. Kerry Anthony MBE, CEO Depaul Ireland
LIFE’S NO PICNIC ON THE STREETS For three years now Depaul have held an art exhibition at Electric Picnic. The aim is for service users to learn a new skill and Depaul to raise awareness about its work with homeless people. Fifty service users joined art and drama workshops to create the art for the event this year. It received rave reviews from the thousands of people who visited it over the weekend of the festival. “This is a wonderful initiative and testament to the fact that just because you are on the street doesn’t mean you are invisible.” said David Mc Williams, economist and journalist who visited the event. To read our full report visit www.depaulireland.org / electricpicnic
Jack from Co. Galway, found one of the 500 Populloss figures hidden at Electric Picnic. Wanting to help, he made his way to the Depaul Tent where he donated €5 from his pocket money for a blanket to save a homeless person from the cold. Thank you.
KERRY ANTHONY SHORTLISTED FOR SOCIAL ENTREPENEUR AWARD Kerry, Depaul CEO, was announced as one of five finalists for a Women Mean Business Award in the area of Social Entrepreneurship. On hearing the news Kerry said “Of course the non-profit sector, like any other is facing huge financial challenges and it is now, more than ever, that I need my business hat on. I am only grateful for the support that we have from our employees and volunteers who always seem open to go the extra mile in the service of our clients – this is something you can’t buy!” Kerry did not clinch the award this time but we are sure getting short listed is a sign of things to come.
CORPORATE SUPPORT KPMG GET CENTS Three staff from KPMG provided workshops on money management in Backlane Hostel in July. They facilitated three sessions which were very well attended . On completing the course participants received a certificate of achievement and a gift voucher from penny’s in recognition of their involvement. “Money is never easy but they made it sound that it can be managed and handled properly and its even got me thinking about saving!” said John, on completing the course. All who attended found it a valuable experience and a big help with budgeting their weekly income. For more see www.depaulireland.org/getcents
In June, staff in Aviva brought their new, but unwanted toiletries into work. Depaul received two boxes of soaps, creams, bath salts, foot solutions and more. The toiletries were used in the projects for service users who ran out and were short of money. Thank you!
Olive Sheehan and Robyn Kelly from Ulster Bank used their knowledge and skills of communication to help Depaul look at new ways of raising our profile. The support came via a professional skills sharing initiative run by Business in the Community Ireland.
SEI CORPORATE TEAM DAY As part of SEI global volunteer day 2010, a team of ten SEI employees members volunteered to get their hands dirty in the garden in Depaul Ireland’s Back Lane hostel for a day. After five hours of work in the sunshine with the assistance of four Back Lane service users, a volunteer and one of the deputy managers, the team managed to clear all of the bushes, weeds and overgrowth to reveal a lovely and comfortable space. A few cups of tea, two broken rakes and one pink skip later, the garden is fresh and all of the gentlemen at Back Lane are proud to show off their facelifted garden which we hope will become home to a new gardening project starting in the springtime!
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DEPAUL NEWS
Volume 3 | Issue 3 |
DEPAUL NEWS DEPAUL SELECTED AS QUEENS CHARITY OF THE YEAR Students at Queens University Belfast chose Depaul as one of four charities they would like to support for this academic year. Students voted in a poll for the cause they felt was most worthy. Their fundraising target for the year is £45,000. We hope Depaul will receive £11,250. Some of their events include jail break, pub quizzes, ball nights and an abseil. Depaul are delighted to be selected for this partnership and hope to raise awareness about our work and homelessness in general during the year.
SKIl 2 SKIL 2 is an online learning and communication space, built for Depaul Ireland, that will encourage interactive sharing of knowledge and information within the organisation. It will focus on issues related to our work with homeless people. SKIL2 will provide a space for everyone in Depaul to share, explore and communicate about excellent work practice so we can deliver the best services to the people we work with. It has been specially commissioned by Depaul Ireland and is now near completion. SKIL2 will offer a range of different online spaces where information will be stored and shared including links to great sites, videos, policies, workbooks, tools and current research and practice. It is a truly innovative endeavour that is going to change how we learn and interact with knowledge as an organisation.
RECONFIGURATION OF DEPAUL SERVICES It is expected that twelve hundred homeless people will move from hostel accommodation into independent living spaces by the end of this year. This is part of the Homeless Agency’s plan to end rough sleeping and eliminate long-term homelessness by 2010. Existing emergency services and other homeless services will be reconfigured to provide more focused and specialist solutions to homeless people. This will see Depaul work collaboratively with 3 other services; Daisy House, Rendu and Peter’s Place YMCA. As outlined in recent media, access to housing is slow and so is likely to affect the overall reconfiguration process. The obvious benefit of the process is that twelve hundred homeless people will finally have their own home. Those moving Into private accommodation will receive regular support from Support Workers to help them overcome any challenges they face while living alone.
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It is hoped that if the houses needed are not available by December they will be in the very near future.
DEPAUL NEWS
Witter - The 140 character interview How long have you worked for Depaul Ireland? Since January 2010 What did you do before Depaul? I worked in a residential care home with Kids at risk. Managing their challenging behaviour while trying to model home life.
Sandra Losty is Depaul Life Skills Coordinator Sandra is Life Skills Coordinator across Depaul in Dublin. She brings a skilled and professional approach to facilitating independent living sessions. These are engaging sessions which help service users to live more active lives and work towards reaching their potential.
Why is your role as Life Skills Coordinator so important? It is vital that service users are equipped with the skills to maintain their own tenancy when they move on from DPI. Best part of your job? The variety, interaction and the fun with residents. Seeing people grow in confidence before my eyes. Hearing their success stories. Challenges in your job? Sometimes it can be hard when someone is so focused on what cannot be changed it can be difficult to make small changes attractive enough for them to want to make them. Best thing that could happen in your job? That DPI continues to offer it and to see it fully equipped with a resource library including IT equipment and cooking facilities.
NEWS ROUND UP Castlehill crowned King of the Hill Tus Nua Tea Party Castlehill service users won the community category in the local soap box derby. With no time to practice in their borrowed cart they treated the day as an opportunity for fun. The team of five completed their three time trials with no mishaps, but still, did not expect to win an accolade. After run- ning up and down the hill all day, they were exhausted, but happy by the end. They were beyond belief to be announced as winners in their category. Well done to all involved!
Belfast Office/ 38 University Street, Belfast +44 28 90 20 2245 /T depaul@depaulireland.org /E Company Registration No. N1054106 Charity Registration No. XR87991
Dublin Office/ 18 Nicholas Street, Dublin 8 +353 1 4537110 /T depaul@depaulireland.org/E Company Registration No. 357 828 Charity Registration No. CHY 14753