Irish homelessness figures have reached a new high, with over 10,400 people in July 2022 registered as homeless.
Figures released by the Department of Housing, Heritage and Local Government have revealed that the amount of people in emergency homeless accommodation has risen again, for the sixth month in a row.
During the last days of June, there were 10,492 women, men, and children registered as homeless in Ireland. This figure is a 31% increase since this time last year.
David Carroll, Chief Executive of the homeless charity Depaul, has said that the charity’s emergency accommodation services are “facing significant demands” and “more and more” young women and men being referred.
"Depaul, for the last four years, have been consistently focusing on rising needs for single and young homeless people and the current position that we are in is a culmination of a lack of progress in this area,” he said.
“We are calling for targeted and immediate measures in terms of HAP reform and the provision of one bed units for single women and men.”
He went on to say, “Social housing should be designed in the most integrated way possible. When planning, consideration must be given to the cohort most in need and immediate action is needed to accommodate this cohort."
Finally, he added: “There is an opportunity to reduce the numbers entering homelessness but significant state support and investment are needed to get us to this place.”
“We are a wealthy country. No-one should be without a roof over their head.”
10,492 is the amount of people registered as homeless. There are huge possibilities that this figure actually is quite a bit lower than the real figure. “Invisible” or “Hidden” homelessness is the term used to describe this group of homeless that more often than not are not counted in official homelessness figures.
These people are those that often find shelter in different places than usual. This can include hospital emergency rooms, bus stops, in tents, campgrounds or parks, or abandoned buildings. These options can sometimes be perceived as safer than a shelter and are often used by younger people or families. It also includes people who are couch hopping, or periodically staying with friends.
These people are still homeless, but often slip through the cracks and are not included in national figures. So often, when you see a figure such as the one reported by the government, it is often a lot higher than that.
With Ireland facing increasing inflation, increasing rent prices, and increasing house prices, there is no doubt that these homelessness figures are going to also increase coming into Winter 2022.
A spokesperson for Dublin Simon Community, Caoimhe O’Connell has said that "We have now broken a record we never wanted to reach, with the increase recorded in the June 2022 Homeless Report coming at a time when homeless services are beyond capacity, while housing applications are suffering extreme delays".
"At present, it is taking on average five months for housing applications to be processed … That's five months of waiting just to get on the waiting list, which can then take several years to yield a house, depending on your situation."
The Simon Communities of Ireland have called on the Government to bring 5,000 vacant properties back into use through the Repair and Lease Scheme, as well as increasing funding towards homeless prevention.
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Written by Molly Hunt, 5th of September 2022
