£100k raised to help families this Christmas Gerard and Caroline O Neill
Darragh O Neill (4) pictured with Ronan McAlisky at the launch of the charity single
MORE than £100,000 has been raised to help ensure no child in Northern Ireland is left without a gift and families have food to eat and warm homes this Christmas.
The Digg Deep for Kids initiative was launched by the O Neill family from Dungannon just two weeks ago.
They released a single I m a Busy Man , written by singer-songwriter Jim Farmer Harte and inspired by internet sensation Darragh O Neill (4).
Two raffles were also organised with prizes donated by local businesses with the money raised helping to support Women s Aid, Children in Northern Ireland, Society of St Vincent de Paul and Cash for Kids.
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There are around 59,000 households currently supported by the payment.
In an opening statement to the Housing Committee, housing charity Threshold said that many tenants are struggling to pay rent even with the support of HAP.
The organisation s Chief Executive, John-Mark McCafferty, told members that tenants are paying top-ups to their landlord to meet rent.
This is rent paid directly by the tenant to the landlord in addition to the rent the landlord receives from HAP.
He pointed out that many tenants are struggling to find a landlord to accept HAP.
Mr McCafferty said that Threshold had carried out research into this issue in 2019 and surveyed 116 tenants eligible for HAP.