Homeless during a pandemic: Shannon Byrne on going viral and the realities of emergency accommodation

Shannon Byrne went viral on TikTok for showcasing her morning routine as a young, homeless mother in Dublin.

Dealing with a global pandemic, trying to keep your family safe and not being able to afford a stable home is the stuff of nightmares. Sadly, it's also the reality for thousands of families living in Ireland today. According to Focus Ireland, the number of homeless families in Ireland has increased by 87% since 2015. Shannon Byrne currently lives in emergency accommodation in Dublin with her two young children, Poppy and Maisie. She recently shared a video of her daily morning routine on TikTok which quickly went viral. Shannon filmed her entire morning routine, from getting the children up and ready to making the bed and getting breakfast.

@shannonbyrne_mpA look at what it’s like to be a homeless family in Ireland ##fyp ##foryou ##ireland ##irish ##homeless ##hotelliving ##prideicon ##reality ##morningroutine♬ Send Me on My Way - Guy Meets Girl

Shannon received huge support from people who viewed the video with many commenting how much respect they have for her persevering in such a difficult situation. Due to the large number of views and comments on her morning routine video, Shannon later followed up with her night time routine.

@shannonbyrne_mpNighttime routine as requested ♥️ ##fyp ##foryou ##ireland ##irish ##homeless ##hotelliving ##prideicon ##reality ##nightroutine♬ Renee - Sales

  On the latest episode of Girls With Goals, we caught up with the mother-of-two to find out how she's coping since sharing her story online. We're discussing the massive rent hikes in Dublin which are driving more and more families to emergency accommodation, the support system she has around her and the misconceptions that she faces daily and why, sadly, emigration may be the only feasible way to create a safe environment for her children. Listen to the full interview below: