Father Peter McVerry discusses the growing problem of homelessness on the streets of Dublin.
Father McVerry, who runs two hostels for homeless boys, refutes media claims that his hostels are dangerous or in fact that homeless children are in some way problematic. He makes an analogy between the treatment of homeless people and the treatment of travellers, referring to both groups as easy targets for the media.
Everybody gets tarred with the same brush.
Having spent the last seventeen years working with homeless young people, Fr McVerry says that the situation has gone from bad to worse.
The number of young people who are homeless has escalated.
While there has been an increase in young homelessness, the services available to them have been reduced. Fr McVerry says that TDs and the Health Board are apathetic about the problems that these young homeless people face.
I've got angrier and angrier.
Despite all of these challenges Fr McVerry feels that there is hope if we have immediate action from our elected representatives.
We could become the first country in Europe to have no homeless children.
This episode of 'Jo-Maxi' was broadcast on 11 November 1991. The presenter is Susan Kavanagh.
