Homeless charity Simon Community released it annual report today.

Up 33% from last year, 11,000 people including 1,500 families and almost 3,000 children, now use it's services. 

With 184 people sleeping on Dublin's streets at the last count, Dermot and Dave invited Tara McNeill in to share her story of what its like to be homeless and what homeless people really need.

Three years ago, Tara was sleeping rough and addicted to drugs and alcohol. After 16 years of homelessness, she has now been housed and, in August, the grandmother went to Oslo to represent Ireland on the women’s football team at the Homeless World Cup.

“In December 2013, I had given up. I just woke up one morning down on Store Street and that was the start of my journey in recovery. I went through cold turkey".

After enduring cold turkey and engaging with the charity’s homeless and addiction services, Tara found her way back to herself through her first love — sport. 

“I felt free — I was myself when I was out on the pitch, I could forget things for that little while,” she said.

Tara was housed last year and, after years of having “no sense of belonging”, was greeted at her home with “banners and everything” on her return from Norway.

Tara is heavily involved in Dublin Simon Community’s Health and Wellbeing service, and it is here she found a deep sense of belonging as well as a place she could renew her social skills after years of living without a home.

“I built up little skills to be a member of society. Even now I suppose I struggle with my social skills at times but I try to push through them,” she said.

Listen back to her chat with Dermot and Dave here: