Sr. Stan was involved in a research project into the lives of homeless women in Dublin, when she realised the importance of involving people, who are, or have been directly affected by homelessness, in the development of homelessness services.

In 1985, two years after the initial research Focus Point (now Focus Ireland) opened its doors in Eustace Street, Dublin. The organisation provided streetwork services to young people, advice, advocacy, information and help with finding a home as well as a warm welcoming place to meet and have a low-cost meal.

Since its foundation Focus Ireland has continued to grow and its research and advocacy work ensures that the rights of people who are homeless remain on the political agenda. In addition to its Dublin projects, it now has services and housing projects across Ireland including in Waterford, Kilkenny, Cork, Sligo and Limerick.

Jasmine is young and vivacious, and feels A Qualitative Study of LGBTQI+ Youth Homelessness in Ireland about what she describes as her ‘mission in life’.

‘I want to be a social care worker,’ she says, ‘because there are very few social workers who come from a background like mine. One of the staff in my residential care home did – and all the kids connected with him immediately. He got it. He knew us.’

But the transition wasn’t easy.

Jasmine felt unexpectedly lonely, she says, and the staff worked hard to help her adjust. They reassured her, told her it was all ‘part of growing up’ and their care and support was crucial.

But the transition wasn’t easy.

‘You can’t be too strict on a new foster-child,’ she says. ‘You have to give them time to settle. As a foster-child, when I moved into a new family, I had to get to know maybe six people all at once. They only have to get to know one of you.’ It’s a lot of pressure, she says, and all the different rules and regulations can feel overwhelming.

But the transition wasn’t easy.

Sometimes, Jasmine felt she had to be ‘Little Miss Perfect’ in order to be accepted and feel loved in yet another new family. There were times when she deliberately tested one foster mother in particular, she says, ‘and she was good. She didn’t hand me back.’

But the transition wasn’t easy.

Trust takes a long time to develop in the best of circumstances. Often, it doesn’t develop at all. ‘That feeling of knowing you’re going to be moved on is the worst in the world,’ she says. ‘You can’t settle to anything. You can’t be still. And your whole childhood is taken away from me. Mine was. And I can never get it back.’

But the transition wasn’t easy.

She feels sad that families have to go through what hers has suffered. Her mother – now fully restored to health – still grieves for her youngest child, taken into care when she was ill. The estrangement is now so complete that ‘she hasn’t seen him in over eight years.’ Tusla has a responsibility here, Jasmine says. They have a responsibility to keep the lines of communication open so that fractures such as this don’t happen to other families.

But the transition wasn’t easy.

Jasmine and her partner hope to have children, maybe sometime in the next few years. She’ll be ready by then, she says, but first of all, she wants to finish college and get her qualification in Social Care work. ‘I want to change things in this country,’ she says. ‘That’s why I work with Epic. I support foster parents in establishing good relationships with foster children. That’s my mission in life.’ www.epiconline.ie Jasmine also works with the International Foster Care Organization – you can find them on Facebook.com, and she gives talks and facilitates workshops on all aspects of fostercare and residential care for children and young people. She is nothing short of a powerhouse.

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‘I want a gaff,’ she says, and we laugh. But we both know it’s no laughing matter. Recent figures indicate that the housing crisis is getting worse. Almost ten thousand homeless, four thousand of them children. There is an accompanying rise in homelessness among young people leaving care: almost fifteen percent of those who leave state care end up homeless.

• I ask Jasmine what would she say to the Minister for Housing if he was standing in front of us now.
• I ask Jasmine what would she say to the Minister for Housing if he was standing in front of us now.
  • Financially, Jasmine is struggling.
  • Financially, Jasmine is struggling.
  • Financially, Jasmine is struggling.
• I ask Jasmine what would she say to the Minister for Housing if he was standing in front of us now.

Jasmine and her partner hope to have children, maybe sometime in the next few years. She’ll be ready by then, she says, but first of all, she wants to finish college and get her qualification in Social Care work. ‘I want to change things in this country

1. I ask Jasmine what would she say to the Minister for Housing if he was standing in front of us now.
2. I ask Jasmine what would she say to the Minister for Housing if he was standing in front of us now.
   • Financially, Jasmine is struggling.
   • Financially, Jasmine is struggling.
   • Financially, Jasmine is struggling.
3. I ask Jasmine what would she say to the Minister for Housing if he was standing in front of us now.