I'm a nurse and was never in debt, I never thought homelessness could happen to me

If I could say one thing to anyone reading my story, it’s I don’t want people’s pity – that isn’t a helpful emotion

Homelessness is increasingly becoming a worry for many in Ireland

As Focus Ireland launches its annual Christmas Appeal, the latest homelessness figures are stark – 10,975 people homeless, 3,342 of them children.

“It can happen to anyone,” says mum-of-two Mary*, a nurse and Focus Ireland service user, who became homeless with her teenage children during the pandemic.