The Irish Catholic Autumn Legacy Supplement 2024
Home.
It’s where you feel most secure.
Where your loved ones and your memories are.
Where you can be most yourself.
But today, for thousands here in Ireland, the stark reality of their lives is homelessness, emergency accommodation or the awful looming threat that they are weeks, days or even hours away from losing their family’s home.
At Threshold, we know the best way to solve the problem of homelessness is to ensure it doesn’t happen in the first place. Because once a person or a family fall into homelessness, it’s a frightening spiral that is incredibly difficult to break out of.
A gift in your Will, of any amount, can help people escape the horror of homelessness, and is a wonderful, inspiring, and important act.
Fr. Donal O’Mahony’s home-saving legacy
Threshold, a charitable organisation dedicated to housing rights and homeless prevention, was established by Fr Donal O’Mahony in 1978. An activist, advocate, peacemaker and negotiator; for more than 30 years he was on the frontline of homeless prevention. He had a vision to improve housing rights for families and individuals, and he had the courage to make a very real difference. Most importantly, he gave a voice to tenants, something which had never been done in Ireland before.
Fr. O’Mahony was born in Cork. He joined the Capuchin Order in 1958 and travelled the world. Unable to remain a bystander to injustice, he fostered a role in peacebuilding throughout this post. As a gifted and natural mediator, he helped to prevent violence, and lives were saved. One example is seen through his work in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, where he promoted and facilitated dialogue between opposing paramilitaries, offering an alternative to the violence that was otherwise prevalent.
Fr. O’Mahony was appointed chaplain to Dublin’s flat-dwellers by the Archbishop of Dublin in the 1970’s. Throughout his work, the employment conditions of returned emigrants and young people who had travelled to Dublin from other counties improved. He was sympathetic to the plight of those forced to live in squalor and sub-standard accommodation with no protection of tenancy. Fr O’Mahony knew that someone had to speak out for these young people.
He believed that just because someone had a roof over their head did not mean that they necessarily had a home. He was far ahead of his time in his approach to creating change, and redefined what homelessness was, in the broader definition in which we now understand it.
“A person may have an address and a door key but if they are living in overcrowded conditions, without basic facilities in unsanitary conditions, if they are cold because they cannot heat themselves, if they face eviction, if they are poor and can’t reasonably afford rent, then it is only right to call that person homeless.”
Fr. O’Mahony turned his focus to housing justice, and through setting up Threshold, he put homelessness prevention firmly on the political map. It is thanks to him that in Ireland today, Threshold is still working to end homelessness, in all its forms.
A legacy still going strong
Although he passed away in 2010, a significant legacy was left by Fr O’Mahony on the housing sector in Ireland. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Threshold has continued with his work and pioneering ethos, expanding to serve the needs of communities all over Ireland.
We are still fighting for the most vulnerable; to improve standards in rented accommodation and ultimately helping to protect families from the nightmare of homelessness.
Threshold has offices in Dublin, Cork, Galway and Limerick, as well as outreach clinics across the country. When a person gets in touch with us, a specialised Housing Advisor gets to work – offering sound and practical advice, negotiating and mediating with landlords; representing the person or family; finding ways for them to pay their rent and keep their home; helping them find an alternative home when needed and bringing sensible, cost-effective solutions to government.
We are there to help all renters, be it students, families, individuals, or retired. We act as a listening ear, with the kindness, compassion and knowledge to help every person who needs help.
The power of a gift in your Will for people like Tommy
“The landlord, he’s selling up – he wants me out in two weeks”
Tommy, a lovely man in his 80s, clutched the envelope that caused his world to collapse. When he met our Housing Advisor, Tommy looked exhausted. His hands were shaking. This was the home he’d lived in for nearly 30 years. Where his children grew up. Where his dear wife, Marian, had died. It was home.
The kindness of people like you ensured we were there to help Tommy when his landlord issued him an eviction notice. As an Irish Catholic reader, I know you understand how important a home is. Because your strong faith means that you care about people like Tommy.
For thousands here in Ireland like Tommy, the stark reality of their lives is homelessness, emergency accommodation or the awful looming threat that they are weeks, days or even hours away from losing their family’s home.
But you can change that, and ensure your compassion and values continue to keep people in their homes with a gift in your Will. You can make a lasting gift to Threshold… one that will reflect your care.
A gift in your Will to Threshold, of any amount, large or small, is one of the most moving and powerful things you can do. It means you can be sure your wishes, your caring, continues.
And it’s very easy to do! You can even use the free and discounted services on Wills offered through our partnership with Law Online. You can find more information on our website, at www.threshold.ie/leave-a-gift-in-your-will/