Homeless mother and five-year-old son sleep in tent outside Limerick City Hall

A MOTHER who spent the night sleeping in a tent with her child outside Limerick's City Hall, in sub-zero temperatures, says she won’t be moving until they are given accommodation.

Charlene Whelan, 29, from O’Malley Park, Southill is pleading for help after she and her five-year-old son Ryan Whelan McNally, stayed in the tent on Sunday having spent the previous number of nights “couch surfing” in several friends' homes.

“Please help me,” Ms Whelan said while standing outside the council building, in the same clothes she had slept in the night before.

“I don’t know what to do, I am at my wits' end,” Ms Whelan added.

She said the situation came to a head as the friend with whom they had been staying was living in student housing and was at risk of losing their own home due to the accommodations policy on guests. 

While speaking with Limerick Live outside the corporate headquarters of Limerick City and County Council on Merchant's Quay, Ms Whelan said her son, who turns six in a month, had gone to school, but that she would be staying put until they were offered some form of accommodation.

Two other people who are experiencing homelessness were also present and they condemned the current situation and offered the young woman their support. 

Members of the public also brought Ms Whelan and the others who were homeless, food and clothes to help keep them warm.

Ms Whelan claimed that early that morning, gardaí had approached them and asked her to remove the tent, which was then packed up, and stored along with her belongings and son's toys next to the entrance to the building. 

“I did not sleep at all. I had to make sure my son wasn’t affected by the cold or the rain,” Ms Whelan said. 

“It’s wrong, it’s very wrong,” she added.

Homeless woman speaks about facing into Christmas while living in a tent in Limerick

Ms Whelan said she received a letter from the Homeless Action team informing her she would receive a call on November 17, but, she says so far, she has yet to receive any form of accommodation. 

“I feel like giving up, but I can’t, because I have a little boy looking up at me. I don’t want to fail him. I haven’t failed him yet, and I won’t fail him ever,” Ms Whelan said. 

“I need help, please give me help. I have done nothing wrong. My little boy has never done anything wrong. We just need help,” she added. 

In response to a query from Limerick Live, a spokesperson for Limerick City and County Council said they do not comment on individual cases.

A spokesperson for An Garda Síochána confirmed that they “engaged with the occupants of the tent today, Monday, December 4 2023 in Limerick city and an agreement was reached (with gardaí regarding the removal of the tent)".