Readers like you keep news free for everyone.
More than 5,000 readers have already pitched in to keep free access to The Journal.
For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can help keep paywalls away.
# Take a Break
Need a 10-minute break? Step into the Reading Room…
This week, we have a homeless special.
LOOKING FOR SOME articles and videos to help break up the afternoon, but only have 10 minutes to spare?
Try these nuggets for size – all take 10 minutes or less to enjoy. This week, because it’s Homeless Ireland week on TheJournal.ie, all of the articles are related to homelessness.
1. Families living in the woods
Two single mothers and their seven children band together to keep their family safe through homelessness. Living in a woods, and then a motel, life is tough. [Reuters - 5 mins]
“I’m holding it all together. There are times I break down. I try not to let the kids see me. They tell me, ‘If you crack, we all crack. If you break Mom, we all break, because you’re the one who holds us together.’ So that’s what keeps me going.”
Jack Watling spoke to people living without a home in London, and found that the stereotypes can be shattered. [New Statesman - 8 mins]
This video was produced to show the work that the Northern Ireland Housing Executive does – and it’s based on a true story. While it is written to promote the NIHE, it’s an interesting watch as it shows the options that 16-year-olds have, and how easy it is to fall into homelessness. [AMV Productions - 6 mins]
4. My life as a homeless person
Homeless people are asked about their lives – and reveal stories of pain, heartache, and hope. [SHP - 3 mins]
My happiest moment was having my son. I lived up near North Middlesex Hospital, but I didn’t want to go to that hospital. So it was about two or three in the morning, and I ended up walking all the way to Wood Green. I’d walked for an hour. I then got a bus to the Whittington. I was in labour for 10 hours. Afterwards they put him on my chest. He just opened one eye and then closed it again. He didn’t open his eyes again until we were on our own together.
Rich Hebron is a university graduate who decided to live voluntarily homeless in order to get a true understanding of what it is like to live without a home. Here, he is interviewed by a friend about it. [Joe Nhalt - 5 mins]
Catch up with all of our Homeless Ireland coverage>
