A number of companies have carried out essential redevelopment work on Focus Ireland’s High Street Dublin 8 premises, which is a hub office for all the charity’s Dublin and nationwide services.

The building is home to over 100 support staff and provides the essential space f0r front line teams to have meetings and complete essential work to support those experiencing homelessness. It also acts as a base for meetings and specialist work with people who are homeless or at risk.

All the work and materials on the project were provided pro bono to Focus Ireland, meaning that the funds that would have been needed to upgrade the building can be redeployed to front line services.

The premises was officially re-opened by Focus Ireland founder and life president, Sr Stanislaus Kennedy. The main objective of the refurbishment was to provide Focus Ireland with the space and facilities needed to grow and develop in response to changes in our customers’ needs.

Focus Ireland works to prevent individuals, families, and young people from entering into homelessness. Where an individual, family, or young person is already experiencing homelessness, Focus Ireland works to provide them with a sustained exit out of homelessness.

Focus Ireland CEO Pat Dennigan said: “This location is really important for us because it’s a hub for our services right around the city.  The redevelopment work was essential as the premises was no longer fit for purpose and the building no longer met many of the current standards.”

The project was led by KMCS, Ethos Engineering, MOLA Architecture, T&I Fitouts, Meehan Green, DMG Engineering and Alphamech. It involved  65 other companies donating time, materials, and labour to the project. The entire refurbishment was donated pro bono to the charity by the companies involved.

Sr Stan said: “I would just like to say a big thank you to all the people involved. I just could not believe my eyes when I was taken around the building.  This will really help Focus Ireland’s work to deliver excellent services and support and housing for people who are homeless or at risk.”

Fiona Mullally of KMCS said: “Focus Ireland can now redirect any funding that would have been used to refurbish the building into their frontline services.”

Sustainability has been built into every element of the design process, with a strong focus on reducing the environmental impact of the refurbishment by recycling materials wherever possible.

Robert Ralph, Ethos Engineering, said: “It gave us the opportunity to reuse a lot of materials from this building and other buildings that were going to go to landfill.”

The new office provides Focus Ireland with the best-in-class space and facilities needed to take the next step in our mission of ending homelessness.

Brian Whelan, T&I Fitouts Ltd, said:  “We were producing something special for people who are trying to do something good for other people.”