LAST UPDATE | 3 Jan
THE NUMBER OF people living in emergency accommodation increased in November to a record 15,199 people.
According to the latest figures from the Department of Housing, 10,541 adults and 4,658 children were in emergency accommodation in November.
It represents an increase of 233 people compared to October.
In a statement, homeless charity Focus Ireland called the figures ‘a wake-up call for the parties currently negotiating to form a government’.
“The two parties involved in forming a new Government went through the election without making any substantial proposals to tackle homelessness, but today’s news of a record number of people living though the misery of homelessness is a harsh reminder that that a Government side-stepping the issue will not be an option,” the charity’s director Mike Allen said.
“As temperatures drop below zero after Christmas, there is also widespread concern for the few hundred people who are sleeping rough on our freezing streets nationwide. People know that this is not acceptable and not inevitable, and they expect their Government to put in place solutions in their new government programme to help end all forms of homelessness.”
“The time for political debate is over,” Catherine Kenny, CEO of Dublin Simon Community, said in a separate statement.
“The incoming government must act decisively and urgently to protect the most vulnerable in our society. Words are not enough—now is the time for tangible action.”
“With a new government taking shape, there is an opportunity for bold action. Preventative measures are key to stopping the flow of individuals and families into homelessness, while increasing the stock of social and affordable housing is essential to ensure homeownership is accessible to all, regardless of income. Without urgent, coordinated action, this crisis will continue to spiral.”
Responding to the latest figures, Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin described the situation as ‘shocking, unacceptable but entirely predictable’.
‘”It is no surprise that neither Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael referenced their own Governments commitment to end long term homelessness by 2030 in their election manifestos,” he said. “This can only be read as an admission that they have abandoned that commitment.”
The figures were also slammed by Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne, who said having more than 15,000 people homeless is a “grim milestone and a damning indictment of failed housing policy by successive governments”.
He called for a ban on no-fault evictions to be immediately introduced.
The 15,000 figure does not include those who are sleeping on the streets.
A survey of the number of people sleeping rough in Dublin in November last year by the Dublin Simon Community has alarmed the charity ahead of the cold snap that is expected this weekend.
The charity counted 134 people sleeping rough across all four local authorities in Dublin between 4 to 10 November, a 14% increase when compared to the same figures in 2023.
The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management (NDFEM) met with stakeholders this morning to discuss the multi-hazard weather event taking place this weekend and next week.
‘Making every effort’
Following the meeting, a statement detailed that people who are sleeping rough will be contacted by relevant departments and stakeholders as emergency beds become available. All stakeholders are currently coordinating and facilitating those beds, it said.
Depaul said today that it is “making every effort” to make sure that all 700 temporary beds in its possession are made available throughout the country. The charity has already been operating with 20 extra beds in Dublin, Wexford and Wicklow this winter.
“We urge all people who are sleeping rough to make contact with their local authority homeless services to obtain an emergency bed,” the spokesperson added.
The Dublin Regional Homeless Executive said this week that it has 82 additional beds that it can add to resources during extreme weather events. It, similarly, reminded the public that beds are also made available by any local authority.
Of the 134 people who the Simon Community engaged with in Dublin last November, 104 of them had been registered as someone who was homeless and previously encountered services run by the local authority.
Of that cohort, the majority of them were male, Irish and between the ages of 26-45 years old. Most of the group, 86%, had links to the local authority – or council – which they were currently sleeping in.
Less than half, 43%, of the group were using tents. The Simon Community came across 17 individuals who were also included in the charity’s spring count.
Additional reporting from Jane Matthews and Muiris Ó Cearbhaill
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