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Rise in homeless population in September

Rise in homeless population in September

The number of homeless people increased again in September, with 8,374 people accessing emergency accommodation, despite a range of Government initiatives to tackle the crisis.

The newly-published data shows 5,250 adults and 3,124 children were homeless in the State at the end of last month, while a total of 5,953 people were homeless in Dublin.

Despite the increase in the overall homeless population of 104, the Department of Housing said the figures also showed a slight fall in the number of homeless families.

Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy said that, for the first time in three years, more families were being relocated into sustainable homes in Dublin than were entering emergency accommodation.

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However, nationally the number of homeless families increased in September by 89, and the number of families in hotels and B&Bs was 690.

Mr Murphy stressed the role played by five new family hubs in Dublin, whith three more to come on line before the end of the year in Cork and Limerick.

However, Mike Allen, Focus Ireland’s advocacy director, described the overall picture as very “bleak”.
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“It’s now beginning to appear that what was happening in Dublin three years ago is happening in Cork, Limerick, and Galway,” he said.

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Mr Allen said there was a well-acknowledged “mismatch” between the amount of housing available and the amount that was needed and it was “unreasonable” to expect that to change overnight.

However, he said the Government could close loopholes in the law allowing landlords to remove families from tenancies by claiming they were selling the property, moving back in or, increasingly, renovating.

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