Gaelic Voices for Change - Dec 16th sleep out

[AZOffaly]

No one wants to see anyone homeless,but the reasons the vast majority have homes is because they have worked damned hard to get houses and stay in them.

In modern Ireland North and South there is an array of benefits and social services available,so I find it hard to believe that anyone is sleeping rough except by choice.

Well you're just plain wrong.

You also use this term 'sleeping rough'. Homelessness is not just about people in doorways in Dublin, many of whom have problems. But there are entire families, thousands of them, living in hotel rooms, with no quality of life. Children going to a buffet breakfast in City North hotel in school uniforms. Mams trying to get them to school. No facilities to cook so you eat whatever you are allowed in the hotel. No places to play, to interact with other kids. Homework in a hotel room with brothers and sisters around you. Nothing to do except sit in the room and watch hotel TV.

That is no quality of life, and surely we can do better than that. Obviously hotels are better than the street, but that's no way to bring up a family. Your heart would break seeing them.

[laoislad]

I've a couple of contracts with a few hotel groups.
Part of the contract is for me to go into these hotels and do safety audits on their electrical systems.
There are a number of these hotels that part of them are being used to house some of these families.
I actually have to go into these families bedrooms and do a safety audit on the electrical wiring/outlets and issue a cert.
What I have seen is pretty grim. Small hotel rooms that may have 2 or 3 kids living there. The rooms are so cramped Ive seen toasters and microwaves on the toilet floor as there is literally no where else to put them.
Stackes of clothes everywhere. Kids nowhere to play bar run up and down the corridors.
You get talking to some of these people as you go about your work and the vast majority you can't help but feel sorry for. Plenty of them actually have jobs and keep their rooms immaculate.
I will say there would be a minority who are playing the system. One woman told me she was offered a 3 bed house but because she has 3 children she wanted a 4 bedroom house as she wanted a bedroom for each kid and herself so she refused it. That kind of annoyed me to hear that.
In general though these families are just like yours or mine but just find themselves in a really unfortuante situation.
I tell you one thing it makes you appreciate coming home and putting a key in your own front door.

[magpie seanie]

Well said LL.

[T Fearon]

They still have a roof over their head.

[Orchard park]

They still have a roof over their head.

and they should kiss your grubby arse for that should they...

you dont even understand the definition of homelessness........

clear winner of gaaboard gobshite of the year award

[Rossfan]

He'll get my vote anyway😁
Excellent posts from Offaly and Laois above.

[magpie seanie]

He's undefeated in that category despite some stiff competition at times.

[T Fearon]

People accommodated in hotels  (for which families on breaks or holidays) while awaiting permanent re housing are not homeless.

[seafoid]

People accommodated in hotels  (for which families on breaks or holidays) while awaiting permanent re housing are not homeless.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

[Orchard park]

People accommodated in hotels  (for which families on breaks or holidays) while awaiting permanent re housing are not homeless.

would you swap places and live in one ensuite room for say 3 years if its so idyllic

[T Fearon]

I have lived in a hell of a lot worse.

[Rossfan]

Portadown?
RTÉ 1 9.35 tonight.

[Gabriel_Hurl]

A disgrace - https://twitter.com/rtenews/status/943186509871673344

[T Fearon]

You want to see what privately let student accommodation was like in the late 70s.

[foxcommander]

A disgrace - https://twitter.com/rtenews/status/943186509871673344

That bank bailout money would have come in very f**king handy to help out people like this.