'My son wants his own bedroom' — Cork woman spending her first Christmas homeless

Samantha Forde checks every day for suitable accommodation for herself and her son. Every day, she gets the same result: there isn’t one.

Samantha Forde at the homeless hub in Cork city where she has been living with her son Dillan since June 27. Picture: Neil Michael

At 12 midnight every Tuesday, Samantha Forde is glued to her phone.

Beside her in the bunk bed next to her is her six-year-old son Dillan. As she stares at her phone in the darkness as he sleeps, curled up with his arms around his favourite teddy, she isn’t catching up on the latest YouTube movie release, or latest Netflix series. She’s looking for a home.