WITH Christmas around the corner and the weather becoming more unbearable, Ireland's homeless try to secure some form of shelter.
Irish homelessness charity Saint Vincent de Paul has said it expects 50,000 families to seek its help over the winter months as conditions become more and more life-threatening.
The charity is launching its annual appeal on Wednesday and aims to appeal to the Irish public for their support and assistance and to remind them that Christmas is not the same for everyone.
The charity has said it expects to receive an estimated 125,000 calls again this year.
SVP is seeking donations to help families and individuals in need in communities across Ireland and wants to draw attention to the fact that it helps people not just over Christmas, but also throughout the year at times when families find themselves in financial difficulties.
The organisations national president, Kieran Stafford, says: “Despite improvements in sections of the economy, calls for help to St Vincent de Paul remain very high. We expect to receive an estimated 125,000 calls again this year.”
"Because austerity and poverty no longer figure in news headlines it is easy to forget that there are still thousands of people who continue to live in hardship and with limited income.
"Irish society cannot and must not accept that living in, or on the verge of, poverty is normal, whether that manifests itself in going without food, resorting to moneylenders, struggling to pay school and other education costs, rough sleeping, living in emergency accommodation or living in rented accommodation which is cold, damp, dilapidated or overcrowded."
