Dublin’s Ha’penny Bridge adorned with donated coats for the homeless

The Christmas spirit of giving is in full swing.

Dublin’s Ha’penny Bridge has been adorned with coats for the homeless, thanks to the generosity of the local community. Images of the coats have been widely shared on social media, with The Irishtown House Pub also posting a photo to their Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/theirishtownhouse/posts/2704778996249110 Telling Lovin that a kind-hearted customer sent in the photo, they shared the image with their followers in the hopes of encouraging people to try similar projects in their local areas. The coats are accompanied by a typed sign which reads: “If you need one then please take one. If you want to help, please hang one up. #warmforwinter”. According to statistics on the Dublin Simon Community website, the rough sleeper count for the night of November 26th was 92 people –down from the previous year’s figure of 156. Speaking on the matter, Senior Manager for Emergency Services at Dublin Simon Community, Claire McSweeney told Lovin: “There are over 10,500 children and adults across Ireland who will get through this Christmas season without experiencing the comfort and safety of closing the door behind them and relaxing in their own home. Christmas is a tough time of year for the people we work with and they really feel a sense of loss and sadness as to what they are missing out on. It is so important that we all keep working hard to provide support to people who are in a crisis situation and that we keep the pressure on to find long term housing solutions. We are committed to doing everything possible to continue to reduce the number of people rough sleeping in partnership with the DRHE and our colleagues in Housing First." Over the past 18 months, the Dublin Simon Community has helped over 3,500 homeless people move into homes through intervention programmes. People have praised the project, commenting that it is a “fantastic idea” and a “great way to show kindness”. Anyone wishing to help can do so by donating to the Dublin Simon Community or by adding to the existing collection of coats for the homeless on the Ha'penny Bridge.

READ NEXT: Dublin shop giving free sandwiches to the homeless on Christmas Eve