With Christmas edging ever closer on the horizon, a well-known advocate for people who are homeless has today said that demand for her long-standing ‘Santa Wish List’ for children is at its highest ever levels.
Saoirse Ni Chonaráin, who is an Aontú rep for Tallaght, says that in the four years that she has been organising the initiative the numbers of children she is helping has more than quadrupled.
She says
“When I started the ‘Santa Wish List’, I was organising toys for around 50 children who were living in homeless accommodation; now that figure has jumped to more than 500 and includes children in Foster Care as well . It just shows the crisis has really deepened with no signs of improvement. These children have to contend with so much at such a young age and really their whole lives are upended. They are often living miles away from school, from friends and extended family and sadly feel quite a bit of shame and stigma because of their living arrangements which are of no fault of their own.
They are living in often cramped conditions with no real areas to play or just ‘be and this is really quite traumatic for them. They feel so insecure and without roots. I worry about the long term psychological effects on these children. They are privy to upheaval and trauma that is far beyond their years.
Their parents are often quite unpredictable as a result of their own addictions so it’s a very uncertain life for these little children. Apart from the instability there is no money for treats and that’s where the’ Santa Wish List’ comes in.
The public are very generous, and they genuinely feel for these children.
We’re not looking for extravagant toys; I put a maximum price on what can be donated which is only fair. We’re experiencing two crises at the moment ; the worst homeless emergency in the history of our state and we’re in the grip of a serious cost of living crisis too so we certainly don’t want to be asking too much of people . Just a little will help so much.
Many local businesses have been so good to us and allow us to use their facilities as drop of points across Dublin. Smyths Toys have also set up a Click and Collect to make it easier to donate a toy.
@santaschristmaswishlist
