Kate was on the streets at 11 years of age, wholly defenseless and thrust suddenly into danger and despair. She did not choose the streets, but dreadful circumstances in the family home and poor state support left her no choice.
As with many forced into homelessness, drugs provided Kate with some temporary comfort and succour. But drug addiction merely compounds the misery of life on the streets. If she was to survive, Kate needed help. In 2005, she got lucky when she stumbled across Daisyhouse.
Founded in 1989, by the late Sr. Una McCourtney, CSJP, Daisyhouse provides homeless people with a safe, secure environment and the ‘space’ in which they can begin the process of rebuilding their lives, one day at a time. In many respects, Daisyhouse fills the large gap between the emergency homeless shelter and getting off the streets permanently.
Support from Clann Credo ensured that Daisyhouse had the resources necessary to do its work. Once in Daisyhouse, Kate worked hard to detox and get clean of her drug habit. She underwent counselling and began to learn the basic skills that a supportive home environment would have imbued in her. She also learned crucial work skills to assist her in getting a job. Today Kate is a woman transformed. In her early 20's she is driven by a renewed sense of self and of purpose, and is making steady progress towards the realisation of her own personal dream: to study Social Science at University College Dublin.
Location: 6 Emor Street, Portobello, Dublin 8
Website:
http://www.daisyhouse.org
"Support from Clann Credo ensured that Daisyhouse had the resources necessary to do its work."