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Updated at 8.15pm
THERE WERE over 2,500 homeless children living in emergency accommodation last month.
Latest figures from the Housing Department show that there were 1,256 families homeless in Ireland in March, a rise of 32% since last year, and up 17 families on the previous month.
The number of single homeless adults also rose from 4,875 in February to 4,909 last month.
Commenting on the figures, Housing Minister Simon Coveney said they were a “stark indicator of the challenges we face as we remain focussed and determined to address this problem”.
He pointed to measures being taken to reduce the number of homeless people.
Homelessness charity Focus Ireland called for the Government to publish a strategy to deal with the issue of family homelessness specifically.
Rough sleepers
Rough sleeper figures for Dublin were also released today. They showed 138 homeless people sleeping rough in Dublin on a single night this month, an increase in over 30% since last year.
The spring rough sleeper count for the Dublin region was carried out on the night of 4 April and the morning of 5 April.
The count found a total of 138 people sleeping rough in this period. Of these, the majority (72%) were discovered within the Dublin City area (north and south).
The remaining 28% were found in Dublin’s other local areas: Fingal, South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire.
Rough sleeper counts are carried out by officials working on behalf of the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive (DRHE) twice a year. One count is carried out in spring and the other in winter.
The DRHE manages homeless services for the entirety of Dublin.
The latest count shows a drop of four people since the winter count, which took place in November.
It is up by 30% on last year’s spring count, during which 102 people were found to be sleeping rough.
The highest single count of rough sleepers in recent times occurred in winter 2014, when 168 people were found to be sleeping rough on the streets of Dublin.
The DRHE said it was working with Dublin City Council to bring another 150 emergency hostel beds on stream in the city for homeless people.
The council said it had housed 150 single persons in DCC rented accommodation in 2016 and 42 in the first quarter of 2017.
Breakdown
Of the 138 rough sleepers, 85 had previously accessed homeless services. Seven people had never accessed services and not enough info was available for the remaining 46 people.
85 of the people were Irish nationals, 13 were non-Irish. The nationalities of the remaining 40 could not be identified.
On top of the people sleeping rough outside on the night of the count, an additional 57 people slept in the Merchant’s Quay Night Café.
The Night Café provides mats on the floor for people to sleep, as well as support services.
Taking into account this figure, the total number of people counted without beds for the night in Dublin was 195. The Night Café first opened in January, 2015.
There were also 186 placements for beds in emergency hostels made through Homeless Freephone and Dublin’s Housing First on the night of the count.
The Housing First is made up of workers from charities the Peter McVerry trust and Focus Ireland and funded by the DRHE. Part of its work is to liaise with rough sleepers in Dublin on a regular basis, sourcing beds for them and maintaining a level of contact.
“Unique group”
The DRHE also said that a “unique group” of individuals who had arrived in Dublin in recent weeks from Romania were encountered on the night of the count.
The people had arrived here either seeking employment or having been promised work.
Half of this group have been repatriated to Romania since the night of the count.
The rough sleeper count has been carried out under the jurisdiction of the DRHE since 2007.
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Joke of a company
Both of them…
What is this Irish Water these people speak off..
Wouldn’t even call it a company ..
New postcode system, waste of money.. Irish water, waste of money. All those millions could have fixed every pipe in the country and vastly improved the infrastructure. So it’s obvious Irish water is only there to strip us bare financially like everything else in the long run. #GE2016
This is like them a few months ago sending me a text message to pay my bill…… I’m 16 years old LOL I don’t have bills in my name yet.
I think you should contact Data Protection Agency !) To find out the source of their contact details 2) to get them to apply pressure on IW to reveal what information was disclose to the the contact in Vietnam. While you are at it, contact Consumer Agency, so they raise awareness of this case to other householders, and maybe enforce IW to have a better framework in dealing with complaints. Get them while is the iron is HOT!!
Oh good one IW, very good indeed. Your credibility knows no bounds.
Now remember these people get bonuses for almost reaching what they were hired to do! Unbelievable.
Well that’s a new one. Idiots.
Irish Water….”Well if they won’t pay….we’ll charge the Vietnamese, then we’ll try the Cambodians and if that don’t work…we’ll import customers?”
It was always a joke but this..
It annoys me only from the perspective that bord gais have been doing this for years before they were given the water job. Their arrogance on the phone to you is only matched by the likes of eircom and they don’t listen to a word you say. Waiting on the general election to see if they chase anything. Not paying till then.
BGE were given the gig as they had the infrastructure and experience in running such systems. Projected savings were 300m if I recall. Of course thet then sold BG retail to Centrica (?) I think how still trade as BG
The holding company who didn’t really have any on the ground experience then reinvented the wheel lead by Mr Poolbeg wgo will now be retiring on a massive pension I suspect all at taxpayer expense.
FG Labour need to be fronted on this disaster
Don’t be surprised !!!
Irish water incompetence on a different level but no wonder given the clowns who’ve tried to foist this on us. Not paying – ever.
With you on that, But let’s face it, they could have had chilled Evian coming out of the tap at a consistent 55 psi and we still wouldn’t have paid for it.
Nothing would surprise me with that shower !
It looks like Irish Water will chase you to planet Mars to relieve you of the few quid left after this toxic coalitions never ending tax scam. I will never pay a cent to Kenny and Burtons love child.
Good enough for you.
I’ve never opened anything from IW.
you can have my mail if you feel ignored and irrelevant
Jimmy – sadly you probably can’t differentiate between the property tax ( home charge) & Irish water. Typical FG / labour supporter – clueless & blissfully ignorant. Go to bed – you tool.
Sounds like the familiar problem that they got their first information from Revenue
The only people to write to me at my parent’s address are Revenue, Specsavers and IrishWater
Really is fn amateur hour stuff….
“It means that this guy has all our details and probably knows more about us than we know ourselves,” Good to see she’s not over stating it anyway.
Yeah I thought the same. While I wouldn’t be happy either I’m pretty sure I know more about me than the idiots at IW.
@ Stephen and phil. Both of you should get a lesson on how easy identity theft is. You only need a name and address and a one or two old bills. Ring directory enquiries ask for a phone number. For the person you happen to have an old bills belonging to the person. Do a Google search find a facebook page/instagram/twitter Etc….. won’t take long. Every thing you need to know. Now just a little challenge for you Google search a few of your friends phone numbers have a look what comes up.
I thought So called Irish. water had been abolished by now ? .
I think I might register with Vietnamese Water, they might be cheaper and more competent, no wait, I’m never registering with any state created water company.
If you can’t get satisfaction on the phone go down to Irish water in Talbot st
Keep going there Irish Water, I am sure you may find locals in New Caledonia or Indonesia that need their supply ‘upgraded’ by giving money to us and then doing eff all.
And by us I mean the boyos upstairs and in Europe, not the public of course
Ha.Ha..as the fella said..that beats banaher…love to know the origin of that saying..Irish watw..the gift that keeps On giving…remember there’s an election coming..FG/LABOUR..not even a transfer..
More bollocks!
I had to double check I wasn’t reading a Waterford Whispers article there, GUBU material.
It’s actually laughable at this stage when is this shite going to end. Think that’s the one job you keep off your CV if you have had the privilege of working there.
Muppets
I was told by someone from anPost that they won’t be using postcodes for some time
I got a note in the door at 1am tonight telling me road works outside my house that started last Thursday will actuaĺy start at 8 am tomorrow and carry on 24 hours a day till end of November and then start up again in January
“No way – we wont pay “. unless you are Paul Murphy – he will pay.
And he told you that did he jimmy.
Jimmy, read the info before commenting. It’s well worth it
Nice chant,Jimmy!
Now explain how Paul Murphy could have got away with not paying his property tax after he sold his apartment ?
Grow up ,lad .
This is top down contempt for the people, from government example we get what “we” voted for
We got a threatening letter from Irish Water, telling us that we owed them €nil, and that we had to pay the overdue amount immediately, or else.
Irish Water is a world class utility company ,thats world class of incompetence ,useless and with very few paying “customers ” . Its a example of how not to start up a utility company ,Do not fill its board with political cronies ,Do not hire a company that is owned by a tax exile ( pays no tax in his native country ) Do not put in water meters when over 50% of water is leaking before it reaches the meter ,and the biggest lesson dont expect people to pay for a service 3 times ,Irish Water sinking slowly into oblivion
Seen as the boys in the Dail are puppets anyway
Being told what to do by advisors & Eu ,
I’m surprised that Germany haven’t intervened
With the scandalous amount of €€€€ being paid on wages etc
Shower oo drips
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