Thursday, May 24, 2012

Charity gives shelter to homeless abuse victims

Three houses in Co Cork have been made available to industrial school survivors who were homeless in Britain.

Nine survivors have returned from Britain and are living in the Reisk area of Midleton, East Cork. The houses were made available by a family in the area.

An organisation, known as the Sunlight Housing Foundation, has been set up by survivors, including former mayor of Clonmel Michael O’Brien who came to national prominence when he described his abuse on Questions and Answers three years ago, and Christopher Heaphy, who spoke out at Mass in West Waterford about the need for a day of atonement so the Church, State and Irish people can apologise for abuse in industrial schools.

Mr O’Brien and Mr Heaphy are seeking financial help from the Church to increase the numbers of survivors housed to 14.

At Aglish on Sunday, Mr Heaphy said: "Please help us to bring home our wounded of heart and broken of spirit. Help us to bring them back to their homeland from wherever they may be. Help us by giving spiritual, financial, social and neighbourly support to this project we started a year ago in Midleton."

"This project has been financed out of our own pockets. But without support from the State or Church, this project will have to be abandoned at the end of this year. Please help us to help them live out the rest of their days in dignity, comfort and peace. It is a small price for a Church or nation to pay, to reverse and undo the damage done to those innocents."

Michael O’Brien added: "These people are on the streets, as they went through an institution. We want to get these most vulnerable of people back on their feet, give them three hot meals a day, help arrange medical care and activities so they can get their lives back together.

The board of the foundation is made up of chair Michael O’Brien, secretary Christopher Heaphy, Tom Brennan, Billy Collins and Thomas Higgins.