WHILE MANY tucked into turkey, Galway man Paul Fallon spent Christmas Day treading 45 miles of tar between Roscommon and Sligo. And he will run out the last of the old year in gales and rain along the west coast, completing a 1,000-mile (1,609km) circuit as part of a project for the homeless.
The initiative, named On the Road Again, was established by Mr Fallon to help homeless people “get back on their feet”.
He has designed a “personal development programme” that focuses on the positive benefits of running, and has already proved successful during a pilot stage.
This involved participants supported by Galway homeless agencies including Simon and Cope.
Although Mr Fallon says it is a first for Ireland, it is modelled on the US non-profit organisation Back on My Feet, founded by Anne Mahlum in 2007.
Back on My Feet doesn’t provide food or shelter, but offers a “community that embraces equality, respect, discipline, teamwork and leadership”.
After 30 days on the six- to nine-month training regime, each Back on My Feet participant who reports regular attendance can move on to a “Next Steps” phase, where education and job training opportunities are provided.
Some 34 people began Mr Fallon’s pilot programme this autumn in Galway, and just under half have graduated. Testimonials written by two trainees and published on his website speak of the benefits, including quitting smoking and anti-depressants and enjoying a sense of wellbeing. Mr Fallon says they have improved their lives to the extent that homeless agencies in Dublin, Limerick and Dundalk, Co Louth, have expressed interest in the model.
The project involves an orientation day for possible participants. It offers connections to job training, employment and housing – links “earned” by maintaining a 90 per cent attendance at morning training sessions three days a week.
The non-profit organisation has an advisory board comprising representatives of relevant agencies including the Health Service Executive, organisations working on mental health and the Galway sports councils.
Mr Fallon, who has been unemployed for three years, hopes to raise €100,000 during his run.
“The cost for one person to be included in the On The Road Again programme for 24 weeks is approximately €1,250,”he says.
“This is a fraction of what it costs the State to tackle the homeless problem, which is estimated at between €24,000 and €27,000 per person,” he says.
The runner completes the final leg tomorrow, arriving outside the Jigsaw building in Fair Green, Galway, at 3.30pm.
