Helping Hands Homeless Action Group - Cork 4.23

Helping Hands Homeless Action Group was established in July 2016, in response to the escalating homelessness crisis in Cork city and surrounding areas.

We work with families who are at risk of homelessness (eviction, sub-standard housing), those who are currently homeless (sleeping on the streets, living in hotel rooms, couch surfing), and those who are emerging from homelessness. Our work is based on an empowerment model of helping people to help themselves, by providing them with the correct tools and information.

Helping Hands Homeless Action Group CLG is currently structured as an umbrella trust, overseeing the operations of our outreach work, and our advice clinic supports. In February 2017, Helping Hands became the operations arm of The PATH Trust.

We offer advice clinics and an assessment and referral system through our base at 10 George’s Quay, Cork. These clinics are manned by professional volunteers offering legal advice, financial advice and counselling services.

In December 2016, over 4,000 people and families were homeless around the country, with approximately 40 families homeless in Cork alone. These numbers have continued to increase.

Our monthly outreach work focuses on supporting those living on the streets with practical necessities such as clothes, toiletries, food and water. This outreach work takes place once to twice a week within Cork city. Our volunteers, who are trained in Level 1 First Aid and SAFEtalk, take to the streets with our mobile catering unit and offer food, clothes, necessities and a friendly face to our homeless friends. Our volunteers also help to bed down those who are sleeping on the streets. Our volunteers are supported by medically trained First Responders and trained coordinators while undertaking this work.



Fundraising and Donations
We rely solely on fundraising and donations to continue our work. Our office at 10 George’s Quay is run entirely by our volunteers, who receive no renumeration for their time. Our volunteers on the professional panels for counselling, financial advice, and legal advice, also donate their time to us.

Donations and fundraising are split between stocking up for our outreach work, and the costs of running services from our office. Although a good number of our stocks are replenished through donations from local businesses, the demand for help is so high that we regularly top up our supplies through the use of financial donations.

In short, all donations from the fundraising efforts of our volunteers are put directly back into the not-for-profit, which allows us to continue offering the services we do to those in need, and to continue lobbying for change in housing provision and homeless services in Ireland.