Statement by The Community Foundation for Ireland
More than 100 people in Limerick and Galway are getting newly kitted out homes with ongoing tenancy supports while housing advocates are also getting a significant boost for their work thanks to an anonymous legacy gift in a will to The Community Foundation for Ireland. Threshold is receiving €1 million and Peter McVerry Trust is receiving €500,000.
Threshold is being supported to undertake a number of initiatives including steps to place the right to housing in the constitution, the introduction of a deposit protection scheme as well as increased security of tenure for private tenants amongst other measures.
As a result of the donation Peter McVerry Trust will provide housing kit-outs in almost 50 new social housing units and provide ongoing supports for over 100 new tenants in Limerick and Galway.
Speaking on the announcement of the funding, Denise Charlton, Chief Executive of The Community Foundation for Ireland said:
“Philanthropic giving is different. It not only responds to immediate need it also has a longer-term view with a focus on solutions. We see that with this donation.
Our donor is supporting initiatives with Threshold and Peter McVerry Trust which have the potential to change the housing debate in Ireland forever.
The partnership with Threshold will increase protection for tenants which for too long has been lacking, or in some cases does not exist at all.
Legacy gifts to charity remain low accounting for only 6% of charitable giving in Ireland; highlighting the scale and generosity of this gift.
This donation also highlights what philanthropy can achieve and contribute. It is now time for Government to grow this type of giving in Ireland by delivering a long-promised National Policy on Philanthropy.”
Pat Doyle, CEO of Peter McVerry Trust said:
“We are incredibly grateful to receive this generous donation. It is a truly transformative gift that will enable Peter McVerry Trust to deliver on our goal of providing more pathways into housing for people impacted by homelessness in communities across the West of Ireland. The funding will enable us to help over 100 people move into a high-quality social housing unit with ongoing support from Peter McVerry Trust tenant support team.”
“Our goal now is to move as quickly as possible to use the funds donated to kit oout social housing and support our new tenants benefits arising from this donation to people impacted by homelessness across Galway and Limerick.”
John-Mark McCafferty, Chief Executive Officer of Threshold added:
“The level of support we have received from this donor is a transformational one and will make a real and lasting difference to people and families at risk of homelessness across the country. It will make a profound difference to Threshold and the 50,000 people who request our help annually.
The direct benefits will be the re-development of our Housing Advice centres in Dublin and Galway and contribute to the creation of an entirely new service and advice centre in Limerick. This will enhance our ability to meet the needs of the most vulnerable private renters by improving and expanding face to face services in areas of high need.
In addition, this gift will mean that we can significantly increase and expand our advocacy and campaigning work, enabling us to create more positive change for those renting their homes in Ireland, and realising a fairer, more affordable and higher quality Private Rented Sector – positively impacting all of the 300,000 rented homes in Ireland. This would simply not have been possible without the support we received from the Community Foundation of Ireland and this donor. As a result, we will be equipped to deal with and respond to a housing crisis unlike anything we’ve seen before.”