Colette wants Buncrana sleep-out to ‘clatter the street with people’

A Buncrana woman who is organising a sleep-out to highlight the issue of homelessness wants to “clatter the street with people” when the event takes place in the town next month.

Colette McLaughlin is hosting the sleep-out on the town’s Main Street on Friday, October 14 as part of homeless charity Focus Ireland’s Shine A Light Night.

The latest figures from the charity on homelessness in Donegal shows there are 10 adults in official homeless emergency accommodation and 926 households on the social housing waiting list.

Ms McLaughlin has summoned the help of schools and churches to help make the sleep-out as big as possible and to collect funds for the charity.

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She is also calling on local businesses to support the sleep-out by donating funds and providing food to those taking part in the event and is looking for volunteers to help with roadside collections across Inishowen.

Her aim is to have Main Street “lined with people sleeping overnight” from 7.30pm to 7.30am the following day. She has appealed to those taking part to bring a fold-up chair or cardboard, sleeping bag, blankets, food, warm clothes, hats and gloves.  

The homeless issue in Donegal is largely unseen, Ms McLaughlin said.

“We have homeless in Buncrana and Letterkenny in hostels and in B&Bs and there is not a word about them and it’s a disgrace.

“TDs need to make more demands on the Government to deal with homelessness.”

Focus Ireland says the event is the country’s biggest ever sleep-out and hundreds of people will be taking part to help challenge homelessness. The charity, which says more than 10,000 people are experiencing homelessness in Ireland, is aiming to raise €1.5m from the night. 

Anyone wishing to take part in the sleep-out or support it can contact Colette McLaughlin on 0860620339.