26

Nov

2015

The Peter McVerry Trust has premiered the documentary entitled ‘Moving on’ which tells the story behind the nature of Irish homelessness.

The film tells the stories of Emma (19) and Patrick (22). It charts their individual moves from a Peter McVerry Trust hostel to a redeveloped apartment building in Dublin 8. The film tackles the traditional stereotypes of homelessness in Ireland and examines the power and security of having a place to call home.

The building featured in the documentary was an empty Dublin City Council housing complex. During the film it is transformed from a derelict building into six modern apartments. The documentary tells the story of how the power and promise of its new homes, transforms the lives of six Peter McVerry Trust service users.

The project costed over €100,000 and was funded by Saint-Gobain – the global construction materials manufacturer. 

Speaking today Pat Doyle, CEO of Peter McVerry Trust said: “This documentary shows the strong and determined young people that lay behind the stark homeless statistics we are often presented with. The stories of Emma and Patrick clearly illustrate the life chaning impact a key to their own home will have on people in homelessness.”

Brian Dolan, Managing Director of Saint-Gobain said: “This project shows the true power of a home to change people’s lives. This investment of €100,000 will provide six apartments for a generation and touch the lives of hundreds of people.

The film was made by Tim Gannon and Graham Seely of Gannsee Films, a Dublin-based production company. 

About Peter McVerry Trust

Established in 1983 by Fr Peter McVerry the charity works with individuals at risk of, or experiencing homelessness, primarily in the Dublin region. Peter McVerry Trust provides a wide range of services in the areas of prevention, housing, homelessness, under 18s residential and drug treatment. In 2015 the charity expects to work with over 7,500 participants, the majority of whom are young, single people.

About Saint-Gobain

Saint-Gobain, the world leader in the habitat and construction markets. It designs, manufactures and distributes building and high-performance materials, providing innovative solutions to the challenges of growth, energy efficiency and environmental protection.

With 2014 sales of €45 billion, Saint-Gobain operates in 64 countries and has nearly 190,000 employees.

In Ireland, Saint-Gobain employees over 600 people in some of the best known and respected brands in the construction sector, including Gyproc with nearly 80 years manufacturing in Ireland, Isover, Weber, Ecophon, JP Corry, Bassetts, Performance Plastics and PDM. Together they offer a range of high performance energy-saving products and solutions to help create a more sustainable built environment.

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