COVID-19 Support DHA

We are facing extremely challenging times, and we need your support to be able to continue providing our much-needed services to the most marginalised and in need members of our community during this time of crisis.

During 2019 Drogheda Homeless Aid provided the following services and supports:

·   Accommodation:133 men were accommodated in our emergency 25-bed hostel

·   Resettlement services: provision of support and advice services for all residents who were helped in exiting homelessness and were supported to live independently in the community.

·   Hot meals: 21,500 hot meals were prepared for and provided to homeless people and those living in poverty in the community during 2019.

·   Social Housing: Drogheda Homeless Aid is also an approved housing body and provided transitional and long-term housing for 40 homeless men, women, and families from the Local Authority housing list during the year.

·   Prevention/Tenancy, Sustainment/Home Visiting, Supports: DHA also provided supports to prevent individuals at risk from becoming homeless and delivers a service for Louth County Council helping to support those with mental health issues in maintaining their tenancies and/or supports people with mental health issues in existing homelessness.

 This year, Drogheda Homeless Aid, due to the current situation, had to cancel one of its biggest fundraising events, the Lenten Lunches which had been running at the St. Peter's Church of Ireland Hall for the last 12 years and which represents a valuable source of fundraising for our organisation.  We also have cancelled our summer fundraising events, including flag days. This is leaving DHA with a shortfall of €40,000 and we are appealing to the public to help.

This year’s fundraising was to be used for the provision of shelter, food, and services for the homeless people we accommodate and to ensure that DHA can continue to provide vital services for vulnerable people in the NE region. We also need to replace our 25 year old cooker.

In order to cope with increasing demand, we require help in replacing essential kitchen equipment.

An essential part of our activity is the meal programme: Meals on Wheels, which is providing 50+ hot meals, three days per week for the elderly and vulnerable members of our community.

DHA is providing with 3 meals per day for all our hostel residents and also providing dinner for the former residents (approx. 80 hot meals per day)

Within the MOW programme, we offer approximately 150 hot meals per week for elderly and vulnerable members of our community. We are also providing lunches for our former clients of approximatively 210 meals and 280 teas per week.

A number of residents from our hostel have been temporarily relocated to allow for social distancing, and members of our team are keeping in contact and supporting them in every way possible as well as providing them with hot meals.  Several residents are still able to stay at the hostel while maintaining social distance.

Like all charitable organisations, funding is instrumental in the survival of Drogheda Homeless Aid, and we rely heavily on the goodwill of our community. Without your support, we could not continue to offer the services that we continue to provide, particularly at a time of enormous demand for shelter and food, mostly now during the current crisis.

We need your support! Even though we all have to isolate and maintain social distancing, it doesn't mean that we are apart in spirit.