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20th December 2016
12:10am GMT
Focus Ireland is calling for business leaders to combat homelessness by sleeping out for one night at this year's Shine A Light Night.
Having started in 2012, Shine A Light Night is Focus Ireland's flagship event, with over 200 business leaders taking part since its inception helping to raise over one million euros for the charity.
This year's event will take place on October 16 in Christ Church Cathedral in Dublin as well as in Cork’s historic city Gaol.
The funds raised by the event are more crucial than ever for the organisation, with a 43.75% rise in the numbers seeking support since 2012. Focus Ireland helped over 11,500 homeless people last year alone.
More troubling statistics have emerged that suggest the number of families living on the streets have nearly doubled since last year, while one in four of those utilising emergency accommodation are children.
Merrion Fleet Management is Shine A Light Night's official sponsor, while Newstalk are this year's official media partner for the event. Newstalk's Editor-in-Chief, Garrett Harte, had this to say:
This is a real opportunity for corporate Ireland to make an impact on homelessness in Ireland. We have been supporting Shine A Light Night since its inception in 2012 and we are delighted to be Focus Ireland’s Media Partner for this year’s event.
Garrett Harte
Focus Ireland is now urging more of Ireland’s top business men and women to come together and sign up for the event that will shine a light on Ireland's homelessness problem. If you would like to sign up for the event or to sponsor a participant, you can do so here.
