Ireland’s hidden homeless crisis: my life in a hotel room

Nuala and her teenage daughter, Laura, were suddenly evicted from their Dublin home when their landlord of 10 years was forced to sell by his creditors.

With Dublin and Ireland grappling with a housing crisis, they haven’t been able to find a new place to rent. Despite having been on the council house waiting list for more than six years they are still only around 600th in line. Now, like almost 10,000 other people and 1,700 families across Ireland, Nuala and Laura are homeless. Phoebe Greenwood went to Dublin to meet them and look into Ireland’s hidden homelessness epidemic.

The Guardian YouTube network:

#hiddenhomeless #homeless #homelessness #ireland

[deceptivepanther]

And those responsible for the financial crash still get their bonuses.

[JScot]

You can tell the mum is putting on a brave face for the sake of her daughter. Must be hard to be in such a situation with anxiety and depression. Her daughter is lucky to have such a fine mother.

[lifeisgood]

rich becomes richer. poorer becomes poorer. middle-class trying to hang on, lest they slip and will move to the poor class. life is tough for middle class and poor people.

[witchesofessex]

So sorry. That happened to us here in the US. We didn't have a car and I worked full time. 2yrs homeless but we made it. I wish them good fortune.

[womynchick]

This happens in Canada to. I spoke to a pregnant woman who currently lives in a tent in Northern Canada. The government told her that she will get a hotel room ‘once the snow hits the ground’

[duallove]

" you become numb " ... This stage is even worse and more painful than angry. You reach the point where you can't even cry.

[jojobee]

I always had compassion for homeless people and knew life is really hard for them - this is something I pondered about already when I was a child. But it wasn't until I had to experience it myself, that I knew how *bad* it really feels like. The feeling of hopelessness cripples you, the anxiety, the uncertainty, the fear.... The anxiety feels like an elephant sitting on your chest every waking moment. Suddenly you see everything so differently - like people walking on the streets; you know who has a home to go to, because they walk with a destination - their speed is faster, their steps are determined - they're walking with a purpose, they have somewhere to go to. You also start to look at buildings and see empty flats in them - it's a sad and frustrating feeling, to see empty flats while you have nowhere to go. You pay attention on laughing people on the streets - it's like watching them from another dimension. Even the sense of time changes - it starts to go slower... To get through just one day is an accomplishment. And when you go to sleep at night, you hope you wouldn't wake up in the morning - that's how difficult it is. And bridges? Bridges look so different when you're homeless - they suddenly serve a different purpose, a way out.

[kaymoon]

Prayers sent to all seeking their own homes everywhere in this world!

[smileface]

I am very ashamed of my government as an Irishman. They need to cop on and look at those around them instead of giving themselves pay rises every year.

[ИннаЗайцева-ыз]

I cried watching this. I work my husband works but we have no home. I work 40 h a week and my husband 50 or even more 56 a week and cannot find place to rent...

[veronicajimenez]

And that’s because she has a daughter. If you have no children they don’t even book a hotel room for you, they expect you to live in the streets

[Cloudbuster]

I live in another country, and we also have a housing crisis. The rent prices are soaring, the working class and those with disabilities can't afford a decent place, but the government doesn't care... all they do is talk, they're not thinking long term, you must build more houses that are accessible for the poor.

And I disagree with those who say- oh, but they have a car, and the hotel is so nice! Are you kidding me? Would you like to be tossed around every two weeks, never being able to settle, not having a place to call your home, in the freezing cold? It's just a bloody struggle, have some empathy.

Our world is falling apart and we can't keep on pretending it's okay, when it's not. I'm not from the UK, or the US, but it happens where I live as well. All over the globe.

[rainbowpierrot]

It is absolute madness that we allow this to happen to people

[mimpikujadigurulaskarpelangi]

She is laughing and smiling but inside she's hurt and crying. 😭

[Roo]

I live in a bedsit converted garage, cold fog out my mouth, damp cold under my pillow, waking up coughing, I'd have a better chance in Ireland if I was a foreigner, that's a fact

[avengernemesis]

To be homeless in the country of your birth is unforgivable.

[bushcraftboatman]

The homeless numbers have now reached 11, 000 and getting worse as we speak. We've also had more than 70, 000 migrants, 52, 000 from Ukraine arrive this year, and this number is only going to increase. It's a perfect storm and the future, unfortunately, looks very bleak for a lot of people who do not deserve to be in this situation. There is no easy quick solution but the government have to treat this as a national emergency.

[shaylenwayne]

I've seen a bunch of videos like this lately and the scary thing is even after watching there are people that blame the poor working person for their situation.

[beatrixkiddo]

Everyone should be entitled to a roof over their head & food in their belly. So so scary this world we live in :(

[BlanceDevereaux]

The upside is that their hotel accommodations are nice and with lovely ocean views. They have a car and are not wanting for food or heating. The daughter is now an adult and in university so as hard as it is for her emotionally, she's actually on an excellent path to adulthood and career. The mother is addressing her depression as best she can and the mother/daughter have a lot of love for each other which is great to see. I hope mother gets some sort of stable home - or even a house share with another single mother. Daughter can work part-time and during summers and I don't know if mother is working but she seems pretty intelligent so even 30 hours a week would see her through. Their sole issue is housing - once that is sorted they'll be ok, they honestly have it ok compared to many other "homeless" situations. I think they'll both be fine in the end. I hope so, they seem decent people.