Ms Tanya Ward:

It is afraid that the media will highlight the fact that a hotel has homeless families and tourists will not want to go there. There is a range of issues. It means that the well funded services which could make a significant difference are not necessarily getting to the families in need.

On the issue of school completion, we know from research carried out by Geraldine Scanlon and Grainne McKenna for Children’s Rights Alliance, with the support of the Community Foundation for Ireland, that their long-term educational prospects could be affected by homelessness. There is a need to bring in the educational welfare services to work with these families early on. A child might only need support for several months and then in mainstream education. Someone somewhere needs to make an assessment and follow through to ensure there are no issues that a child will not be left vulnerable.