Trinity College Dublin Students’ Union (TCDSU) and Trinity Free Legal Advice Centre (FLAC) held their first annual “Homelessness Sleep out” outside of the Nassau Street entrance last night, raising money for homelessness charity the Peter McVerry Trust.
Twenty students spent the night outside the gate, from 7pm last night until 8am this morning.
The event was organised by Kieran McNulty, Citizenship Officer and President-elect of TCDSU, and FLAC. Speaking to The University Times, McNulty explained that the idea for the sleep out came from a conversation held between himself and the current President, Lynn Ruane, and an organiser of the annual Belvedere College sleep out, which raises funds for the homeless every winter. The event raised €178,000 for homeless charities in 2014.
Students were invited to sign up to take part online, with 60 students signing up before signups were closed, and 20 students placed on a waiting list. However, only 20 students took place in the event last night, with McNulty stating that many students had decided to go home to vote in today’s general election.
Participants had to raise €50 each before the event. The total amount fundraised is not yet known, as donations are still coming in.
McNulty stated that “not a huge amount of resources have been put into it by the union” as people often “criticize” the union for tackling issues that are not directly related to students. He added that FLAC “put a lot of help into it” and that the Peter McVerry Trust offered their support: “We wanted to make sure it was something they were comfortable with”.
In an email statement to The University Times, Francis Doherty, Communications and Advocacy Manager for the Peter McVerry Trust, stated that the charity “would like to thank everyone who organised, took part [in] and supported” the sleep out. He continued: “At a time of rapidly increasing homelessness the support of students and young people is vital in helping tackle an issue that disproportionately impacts people aged 25 and under.”
Mc Nulty added: “College authorities have been really behind it and hopefully we’ll be able to do it again in the future.”
Aisling Curtis contributed reporting to this piece.
