The Belfast Busk for the Homeless will take place on Wednesday evening in Cornmarket
Belfast homeless charities are calling for a night shelter in the city in order to keep people sleeping on the streets safe this winter.
On Wednesday evening there will be a special busking event at Cornmarket in Belfast City Centre in support of The People’s Kitchen Belfast that aims to spread the Christmas spirit while also calling for further support to help the vulnerable and homeless.
The event comes following calls for support from a number of homeless support services in Belfast in the wake of a photograph that was taken on Royal Avenue on Sunday evening that showed eight people sleeping in one doorway in the heart of the city centre. Damien McNairney from The People’s Kitchen said there were 18 people sleeping on that stretch of road that night.
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Speaking to Belfast Live, Damien said: “We are very thankful to the groups that will be taking part in the Busk for the Homeless this year and we hope that it will be an opportunity to spread the Christmas spirit while also highlighting the need for further support for the homeless community in Belfast.
“We will be using the event to reiterate our call for a night shelter here in Belfast, something that is supported by the other homeless services that we work alongside and it is very disappointing that it is a service that we do not have in Belfast already.
“Lots of people saw the picture that was shared from Royal Avenue of the group in the doorway, but there were actually 18 people sleeping on that stretch of road on Sunday with even more throughout the rest of the city centre.
“A night shelter is something that we urgently need to keep people safe, particularly during the winter months, and without it there will be people who will die.”
The Belfast Busk for the Homeless has been organised with the help of comedian Nuala McKeever and will feature a number of local groups such as the Belfast Rock Choir and Ukulele Orchestra.
It will take place in Cornmarket on December 17, from 5pm to 8pm.
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