The homelessness crisis makes me ashamed to be Irish

It’s hard to grasp the true scale of the homeless and housing crisis until you’re working in the midst of it, writes Diarmaid Twomey

TWELVES weeks ago, I started a professional placement with a family support project in a disadvantaged area of Cork City. This is the first of two 14-week placements I must complete as part of my social work degree in University College Cork. Project workers encounter a multitude of different issues daily. Their work can encompass addiction, mental ill-health, domestic abuse, child development, and a litany of other challenges, and all in a single morning.

My experience of vulnerable families in disadvantaged communities has been overwhelming, and hugely humbling. However, amidst all the challenging issues, one stands out: homelessness. We have heard, ad nauseam, about homelessness for the past number of months. Yet, most of us still have no idea just how bad the issue is. While I always read the stories about the rise in homelessness, I could never fully relate to, or comprehend, the issue until now.