Speaking to The Irish Catholic at the launch of the new Focus Ireland campaign, titled ‘No Child Without a Home’, which took place on November 12, former President Dr Mary McAleese said the fight against homelessness “is not just an issue for politicians. That is an issue for us all as a people.”
When asked about homelessness still being a major problem in Ireland, regardless of the hard work of people and institutions like Sr Stan and Focus Ireland, Ms McAleese said, “The work that people like Focus Ireland and Sr Stan have been doing for 40 years has actually helped to mitigate the problem, to give hope to people.”
Ms McAleese said these problems are not insoluble, and a lot has already been achieved. “We’ve solved it mainly through education and through the effort of a people who are now mobilised in a way they never were before, with a confidence they never had before, with resources they never had before.”
“The message from today,” she said, “is every child out there who is currently being robbed of their happiness because they don’t have a stable home… they are our problem. They’re not their own problem.” She said these children need to have “a real home, where they feel stable and with a degree of certainty that brings them the kind of happiness that children deserve.”
Also at the launch was CEO Pat Dennigan, who speaking about Sr Stan said, “We’re all heartbroken for her loss. Stan was a visionary, a tireless advocate, and a compassionate force for change.” He said, “Her legacy will forever shape the heart, soul, and values of Focus Ireland.”
Ms McAleese said Sr Stan’s “body may be in the grave,” but her soul will always be in places when “two or more people gather with a plan to end homelessness.”
“We’re very lucky to have had Stan,” she said,” and to still have her, in a very special way.” Ms McAleese recalled Sr Stan would “be the first to say, ‘look, the numbers grow, but it’s not just a set of numbers,’” those statistics are people, and that should not be normalised, she said.
Mr Dennigan said “Stan’s fierce advocacy for social justice, and her deep empathy for those most marginalised, inspired generations of staff, volunteers and supporters.” He believes “her leadership was rooted in love, dignity and respect, and she never lost sight of the individual stories behind the statistics.”
