Epicenter
A game educating about the homelessness crisis in Ireland
Our Mission
Educating about the Homelessness crisis in Ireland
Epicenter aims to educate secondary school and university students about the current homelessness crisis in Ireland. We want to raise awareness of the increasing amount of people that are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless and the challenges they face every single day.
There is often a stereotype associated with Homeless people, they beg on the streets throughout the day for money and food and are rough sleepers. This game aims to widen people’s perspective on the current crisis. The student you are sitting next to in your lecture may be going through these exact struggles unknown to you.
Facts
How many people in Ireland are currently homeless?
As of September 2018, there are currently about 9,724 homeless people across Ireland, 3725 of which are children, according to Focus Ireland. In 2016, the Central Statistics Office reported about 72% of homeless people living in the Dublin Region.
Are all homeless people living on the streets?
No, there are different types of homelessness. While some of them actually do live on the streets, so called 'rough sleepers' only account for a very small percentage of homeless people. In Winter '18 there were about 156 people sleeping rough in the Dublin Region. Most of the homeless live in emergency accommodation but hidden homelessness can also include e.g. people sleeping on their friends' couch.
Why do people become homeless?
There are many different reasons why one might end up homeless. A lot of them lost their job or are unable to work, others are employed but can't afford to rent an apartment due to the housing crisis in Ireland. Other reasons include domestic issues or mental illness.
Epicenter
Preview
Main Character
Ciara is an 18 year old girl from Dublin. Ciara used to have a normal family life. Her parents were happily married for over a decade. However, Ciara’s father was reckless when it came to money. His behaviour put a strain on the family resulting in Ciara’s parents deciding to divorce one another. Ciara’s father rarely saw her following the divorce, nor did he pay child support. His actions had left Ciara’s mother with a substantial amount of debt which she was unable to pay off. The pressure that this financial difficulty put on Ciara’s mother caused her to become ill and spend a period of time hospitalized. As Ciara’s living situation got progressively worse, a social worker stepped in and decided it was in Ciara’s best interest not to live at home anymore. It was then at 16 years of age that Ciara entered the Foster Care System. Today Ciara is 18 years old and because of this she is no longer suitable to stay in Foster Care. Ciara stays in Emergency Accommodation provided by Cross Care known as Cedar House on Marlborough Street in North Dublin. Ciara is a first year student in Trinity College Dublin but none of her friends are aware of her situation. She balances her days between college, a part-time job holding an advertising sign for Ray’s Pizza in Temple Bar, and looking for both short and long-term accommodation.
Game Play
Players will follow around the main character Ciara and learn about the struggles homeless people in Dublin are facing every day. Divided into 5 parts, players will learn about different aspects of the everyday life of a homeless person and complete a quiz at the end of each stage. Only after completion of the quiz, one can proceed to the next level. Every part is connected to a different real-life location in Dublin and represented on a map that provides an overview of the game.
Sounds interesting? Play the Demo now! Simply click on the button below, open the document in presentation mode and you're good to go!
Creators
The team behind the game
Niamh Kelley
Niamh Kenny is 19 years old and from North Dublin. She's a first year Business Student at DCU.
Imran Lanambai
Imran Haji Lanambai is 18 years old and is studying Accounting and Finance at DCU.
Cait Murphy
Cait Murphy is a 19 year old business student from Longford. She's currently in her first year at DCU.
Barbara Zimmermann
Barbara is a 21 year old international student from Germany. She's currently in her first year of studying Global Business, which she will finish at ESB Reutlingen in 2022.
Focus Ireland
