Ireland is currently suffering from a homelessness crisis. Homelessness is a global epidemic that is often not talked about a lot. Major cities struggle to deal with their homeless populations, often choosing solutions that only temporarily relieve the situation. Just walking down the streets of the city center at night you will encounter at least one person without shelter asking for change, or pass by a makeshift bed on the street. I talked to some native Dubliners and Irish people from other parts of the country to discuss this troubling topic.
I learned just how big of a problem homelessness was in Dublin and Ireland, past and current contributors to the problem, and organizations locally and nationally that are working against it. 4,370 people in Dublin alone are currently homeless and reside in emergency shelters, while over 31,000 are on the waiting list for government-provided housing. This issue is not seen as an individual problem, but the fault of the national government. Many Irish are especially angry that thousands of children are also included in these homeless statistics.
