'He’s so content going to bed at night': Homeless mother says getting a house has made her young son 'so happy'
Focus Ireland's annual report reveals a record number of people supported by the charity in 2025, highlighting the ongoing housing crisis. A mother shares her personal experience of moving from emergency accommodation to a permanent home, emphasizing the positive impact on her child.
Why it matters
The data underscores the severity of the Irish housing crisis and the long-term developmental impact of homelessness on children.
Focus Ireland helped about 18,800 people who were homeless or at risk of losing their homes in 2025, an increase of 4.4% on 2024.
A mother who was homeless has said getting the keys to her new home has transformed her young son.
Savannah Nguyen lived in emergency accommodation in 2024, which she said was “far away and isolating”, before going to a family hub, closer to where she is from in Dublin.
She said she lived with 60 other families at the family hub, sharing cooking and washing facilities, and said when she could not access the shared spaces, she had to eat out or go to family and friends’ homes.
She and her son, who turns three in two weeks, have been given keys to their own home and said it had already made a difference to him.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in