Photograph: Bryan O’BrienA little girl living in emergency accommodation in Dublin with her mother and two sisters wrote to Santa asking for a house this Christmas. Boyd and her three daughters Millie-Jae (10), Harper (7) and Priya (2) will be spending Christmas in emergency accommodation this year. John O’Haire, head of family services at Focus Ireland, says that for many children this will be their second or third time spending Christmas in emergency accommodation. However, the landlord decided to sell the house and the family was forced into emergency accommodation again in August this year. Facing another stint in emergency accommodation was “daunting”, she says, and they were “scared of the unknown”.

Source: The Irish Times December 23, 2025 10:33 UTC