Recent figures revealed by Focus Ireland showed that 230 children will spend Christmas in emergency accommodation in Cork and Kerry, while 109 families in the South West will spend Christmas without a home.
Their figures also revealed that 712 adults are currently in emergency accommodation in Cork city and county, while a record 5,274 children will be homeless in Ireland this Christmas.
Mr Dalton said the various fundraising initiatives in local communities play an important role in helping Focus Ireland provide such a vital service to people. “We have some government funding, but we rely heavily on actual fundraising, so community fundraising, corporate fundraising and different things like church collections. Christmas is a huge time.”
Last year, Focus Ireland supported 4,500 children from 2,053 families who were homeless or at risk of homelessness nationally.
So far this year, the charity has supported 49 families in Cork and helped 190 families with 419 children exit homelessness, in partnership with its supporters and the state.
The charity saw an 18% increase in the number of children it supported last year compared to 2023.
Mr Dalton said the association’s main mission is to end homelessness. “There are a lot of families and children who don’t have a clean home, especially at Christmas. If we don’t continue fundraising, we won’t also be able to provide our services to people who use Focus Ireland.”
Cian started working with Focus Ireland in July 2024.
Its main role is to cover the Munster region for community fundraising. “My role would be to get people to sign up for our main events like around Christmas or Shine A Light Sleep Out, but also to help anyone who wants to organize a coffee morning for us. We had one recently in Blarney which raised a few thousand pounds which was fantastic. The local church and a few volunteers did a lot of baking. Things like that would also fall within our remit.
“People are so generous. It’s when you start working in the charitable sector that you see it more. Like schools, choirs, churches, sports clubs and different things like that. Even volunteering is vital for us as well, collecting for us or organizing an event for us,” he added.
Mr Dalton said he continues to be shocked by the growing number of people who are homeless and living in emergency accommodation being released on the last Friday of each month. “I’m always shocked by the statistics. At the end of each month, I’m not surprised to see the number of homeless people continue to rise. At this point, you almost expect the numbers to rise again, unfortunately. It’s so sad and terrible.”
Mr Dalton continued: “When I speak to school, I always tell them I’m not playing, but the numbers are likely to go up again. The only time they will probably go down is at the end of January for the December numbers. We are seeing a trend where the numbers go down a bit at Christmas, when people can go home to family or friends. Then they go back up in January when people have to get back to their ‘normal’ lives.
“It’s horrible,” agreed the Focus Ireland employee, who said the statistics related to real people. “People of all ages and demographics can now find themselves homeless. You have families spending Christmas in B&Bs and hotels. How are they celebrating Christmas or Santa in that area or environment? The statistics are real people. We have clients all over Ireland who are just trying to get by with the help of Focus Ireland. It’s so difficult now. We see it every day and it’s such a sad situation.”
Cian was full of praise for his colleagues who work on the “services” side of Focus Ireland.
They interact with service users on a daily basis regarding budgetary and educational matters, Mr Dalton said. “We have staff here who work directly with families and young people. I met some of them at different events over Christmas and Easter. My colleagues who work within the service staff do a fantastic job of educating, budgeting and following up with people. It’s not just about making sure they have a roof over their heads, but that they also live a full life.”
Focus Ireland also liaises with various other national charities and stakeholders to support people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless in Ireland.
Cian said Christmas is always an important time to raise funds to keep the service going. “Focus Ireland is in contact with Simon with some clients. We know all the charities and organisations, whether it’s homeless people or children too. They all do fantastic work. Especially at Christmas it’s a vital time for charities raising money to keep each service going.
“Our head office is in Dublin, but we have a big presence in Cork. Our office is on the Grand Parade. We have accommodation all over Cork and clients all over Cork and Kerry. We’re all in,” he added.
Mr Dalton said several factors, such as the rising cost of living and the huge increase in rents, are contributing to the growing number of homeless people across the country. “There’s a lot of different nuances. I would say the rising cost of living contributes to it. If you miss a few paychecks, you could be very close to being homeless. The cost of living and the cost of rent is a huge factor. Some of the rent charges for what they’re offering are crazy as well.”
“We also need more social housing,” Mr Dalton said. “The government has recently unveiled plans and they are great, but no date has been set for social housing. We see there are promises, but we need them to be kept. Everyone needs to come together. We need the government and charities to work together. We are working hard to achieve that.”
Focus Ireland’s ‘No Child Without a Home’ campaign highlights the hidden impact and long-term damage of homelessness on children – from loss of education to emotional trauma and developmental impacts, while also lobbying government and proposing solutions to end homelessness.
The charity’s five-point action plan calls on the Government to end no-fault evictions, prevent families from being evicted due to unaffordable rents, build enough suitable homes in the right places, prioritize long-term homeless families for social housing, and protect children by putting their needs and interests first.
Mr Dalton said Focus Ireland was “always” looking for people willing to volunteer and join the national charity. “If people want to go on Focus Ireland and sign a petition for ‘No Child Homelessness’ that would be fantastic. That’s also what our advocacy department brings to government.
“If people want to support charities, get involved in our fundraising campaign and all our different activities, that would be fantastic. We’re always looking for people to volunteer. Fundraising days are great fun and it all goes to a good cause,” he added.
