In a special episode of Girls With Goals, we're going behind the statistics and meeting the people directly affected by the current housing crisis in Ireland.

As we rush around today finishing up our shopping, getting the last few bits, and looking forward to snuggling up with our families, it's easy to forget that Christmas isn't the same for everyone. At the moment in Ireland, there are 8300 people who don't have a home to call their own. In 2014, 340 families were homeless... that figure now stands at 1,400. The statistics are shocking, no one is denying that, but we hear them often. I found myself wondering whether, as a society, we've become desensitised to the issue of homelessness. I wanted to talk to the people directly affected. Their stories are tough to hear but also filled with hope for the future in situations that feel unimaginably bleak. I interviewed 5 people, with 5 very different stories.   I spoke to a woman on the street (38.22), she has pneumonia and believes she won't be alive to see the New Year. A single dad shares his story (1.27) of how a relationship break down spiraled into sleeping rough and suicide attempts, he's applied for hundreds of properties since getting sober and he has the documentation to prove it. Another woman came to Ireland just over a year ago, she has a job but can't afford rent (15.12), she's living in a hotel with her 13-year-old daughter. Her daughter has begun self-harming due to the stress. This is the reality for thousands of people this Christmas. This episode is 47 minutes long, do you have the time to make a difference?