"When we lost our home I was 12 I thought we were just moving to a different place. The next thing we were on the streets. I hadn't a clue what was going to happen. We went with my mother to England, we didn't like it and came home, we were with my sister for a while, but she went to Sligo and we ended up on the streets.
My mother stayed in England we used to ring her and pretend everything was ok. She was out of her mind... up the wall worried. We used to get £27 a week to live on, we were starving, we'd rob stuff and everything just to feed ourselves. Once I was robbed of all my clothes and my shoes. I never touched drugs, other people did but I never did. We used to be filthy our clothes were in bits from sleeping out. I felt other people were looking down on us."
Frankie came to Focus Ireland through our Extension service - a drop in centre for young people. He was referred on to our housing division and happily he's now settled in a home of his own. Happily systems have been put in place to ensure that young people like Frankie are provided with help before they become homeless.