McVerry Trust Presentation

We were given a presentation on the Peter McVerry Trust's work by Aisling Hussey, Digital Communications Officer for the Trust. In the presentation Aisling stressed the organisations aims of;

• Creating greater awareness of the issue of homelessness in Ireland.
• Facilitating full inclusion in society for those affected by homelessness.
• Housing First Policy - getting a person into a home and using that solid base to engage with any coping issues that may be present.

In terms of communication goals, Aisling would like us to adhere to the following values;

• Positivity.
• Respect for the person.
• Conscious use of imagery.
• Conscious engagement with stereotypes - challenging peoples perceptions.

In discussion with Aisling I asked her what she felt signified that a person had really inhabited their home and she responded that photos were an indicator of someone feeling at home. This gave me the initial idea of a person hanging photos on a wall indicating the progression of their journey to their new home. I thought about integrating this with my previous idea of a house-key acting as a seed from which the house would grow.