Ruairí recalls reaching rock bottom

“No one deserves to be homeless.”

Those were the words of Ruairí (whose name has been changed to protect him and his family’s privacy) as Cork Simon last night, Wednesday, launched its More Than A Gift Christmas campaign.

The campaign draws on the real life experience of Ruairí who was eventually pushed into homelessness following a traumatic childhood experience.

His words of “no one wants their child to grow up to be homeless on Christmas Day” were the inspiration for the campaign.

Cork Simon Community launched the campaign to highlight how people’s support for Cork Simon has a long-lasting, positive impact on the lives of men and women experiencing homelessness in Cork.

Speaking at the launch, Head of Fundraising, Rachel Stevenson said: “Everything we do depends on the generosity and participation of the wider community here in Cork. No matter how people support us – be it donating, sponsoring a room, organising or participating in a fundraiser; every act of kindness helps to change lives and save lives.

“It’s much more than a gift.”

She added: “Ruairí’s story, in his own words, will be dropping into every household in Cork in the coming weeks.

She added: “Ruairí’s story, in his own words, will be dropping into every household in Cork in the coming weeks. He talks of his loving Cork family, of a traumatic experience outside the family home at just 10 years of age that was the root of his homelessness, and of his struggles to keep body and soul together. No one wants that future for their child – on Christmas day or at any time.”

Ruairí recalls reaching “rock bottom” 3 days before Christmas, not knowing how to deal with sleeping rough. But he says he “started to heal” when he got his own bed, his own room and a support worker at Cork Simon to help him deal with the root cause of his homelessness.

“None of that would have been possible without the care, compassion and generosity of the wider community here in Cork,” said Rachel. “Every donation, every gift of kindness we receive, is offering men and women like Ruairí a way out of homelessness. It’s saving lives. It’s changing lives. What better gift could we give at Christmas?”

Speaking of the generosity of people in Cork, Ruairí said: “It can lift the burden of decades of pain. I’d have remained that little boy in pain – with no hope and no future. For the first time in a very long time, I felt loved. I felt cared for. I felt wanted.”

Cork Simon’s campaign is asking people throughout Cork to give the gift of hope and a new start for the men and women it is supporting by donating, sponsoring a room or organising a fundraiser like a Cork Simon Christmas Jumper Day. Details at www.corksimon.ie.