Depaul message is driving home for Christmas..

AS Christmas approaches and homes across Ireland begin to fill with decorations, familiar music, and the smell of festive dinners, it's worth pausing to ask a difficult question: What if you had no home for Christmas?

- BY DERMOT MURPHY DIRECTOR OF SERVICES AND DEVELOPMENT AT DEPAUL

While many of us prepare to gather with family and friends, thousands of people across the country will spend the holiday without the basic comfort and security of a place to call home.

Homelessness in Ireland is at an all-time high. Over 16,600 people, including more than 5,000 children, are living in emergency accommodation.

That is not just a number - it's thousands of stories of fear, uncertainty, and trauma. And at this time of year, when home and togetherness mean more than ever, those stories are especially heartbreaking.

Christmas is about coming home - about safety, warmth and belonging. But for thousands of people across Ireland, there's no door to open and no place to call home.

Our fundraising appeal seeks not just to provide immediate relief but to foster long-term solutions.