DataSolutions company reaches its €25,000 fundraising target
By Maurice Garvey
NANGOR Road company DataSolutions reached its €25,000 fundraising target for housing and homeless charity Focus Ireland.
This money was raised by the specialist IT distributor via a range of events throughout the year, and will be used as a deposit to purchase a house for a homeless family.
Michael O’Hara (Group Managing Director, DataSolutions) and Anna Earley (Corporate Partnerships, Focus Ireland)
A series of fundraising events by the company in 2019, included a five-a-side football tournament, a charity hike up Lugnaquilla mountain in Wicklow, a four-ball golf tournament and bag-packing activities.
Michael O’Hara, Group Managing Director of DataSolutions, said: “Homelessness is the biggest social issue facing Ireland today and the number of families affected by it is increasing.
“The role that Focus Ireland plays in tackling homelessness is crucial, so we are very proud to be able to support them in this way.
“The money we have raised will help to secure a permanent home for one of the many families waiting for a house.
“While it’s a small contribution in the grand scheme of things, it has the potential to change lives.
“We cannot thank our partners and vendors enough for participating in the various events and supporting this worthwhile cause – we really couldn’t have done it without them.
“The level of engagement from our staff has also been phenomenal, with members of the team getting involved and making regular donations throughout the year.”
Anna Earley, Corporate Partnerships, Focus Ireland, noted the homelessness crisis is “only getting worse as more families struggle to access affordable accommodation.”
Ms Earley said: “We are extremely grateful for the contribution DataSolutions has made to Focus Ireland in 2019 and it has been a pleasure working with them throughout the year.
“Their great effort will help a family to now have the security of a home.”
How it works – €25k is the average 10 per cent equity deposit Focus Ireland has to have in place to leverage the finance required to buy a typical 2+ bedroom family unit. Once Focus Ireland has the 10 per cent equity deposit in place, this enables the charity to borrow 70 per cent from the Housing Finance Agency and the other 20 per cent required for the purchase of the home is funded through the City Council CALF scheme.
