‘It pains me that this is my country’ - Cork family facing homelessness

A woman in Cork facing homelessness due to soaring private rental prices has spoken of the fear and shame she feels in not being able to find her family a home.

Marie O’Sullivan, her husband and their two children could face homelessness by March 15th if they do not secure a place to live before they move out of their current home which has been sold by the landlord.

"We're just doing what we were told growing up," Ms O'Sullivan told RTÉ's Morning Ireland programme. "I go out, I work hard, I pay my bills, I pay my taxes, I respect others, I treat people with dignity, I care about my community, I care about my neighbours and yet I'm still losing my home."

“We are literally hoping for a miracle at this point. I think people have this perception that we just sit back and allow this to unfold, put the duvet over our heads and it’s someone else’s problem. That is not how it is.”

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Ms O'Sullivan, who is in permanent employment, says she chose to highlight her family's story to raise awareness of the many families around Ireland still facing homelessness. Her husband is unable to work due to illness and her two children - aged 16 and 7 - attend a school close to where they currently live.

“I felt so alone and so ashamed that I want to give others a voice so that they don’t feel alone or ashamed in this because this is not circumstance of our creation, this is a circumstance that we’ve been unfortunate enough to have to survive.”

She has spent weeks searching the internet and speaking with Cork City Council in the hopes of finding an affordable home for her family.

“It’s made me realise that I was one of the people who read all those headlines about the housing crisis and homeless crisis and I could empathise but I didn’t understand. It’s a sneaky crisis because you don’t comprehend it until it knocks on your door or the door of someone you love.”

“I just feel so much for all the other people who are already past their March 15th. They’re sitting in hotel rooms or wandering the streets with little kids with nowhere to go. It pains me that this is my country.”