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DURING 2014, you could barely open a newspaper or turn on the radio without hearing a story about the housing crisis. The shaming statistics were brought harrowingly to life with accounts of families living in cramped hotel or B&B rooms; these parents trying to keep life normal for their children despite often being far away from their communities, having no or limited cooking facilities and being afraid of the potentially dangerous environments. And this doesn’t even cover those families forced to find shelter in their cars.
This steady stream of horror stories culminated in the devastating death of Jonathan Corrie and a flurry of action by the Government, and in particular Minister Alan Kelly, to tackle the crisis. While the majority of the commitments made at the end of 2014 were welcome – there was an increase in the number of emergency accommodation beds and ring fenced cash to construct social housing – what was missing was action for those living in unstable, unsuitable, inappropriate accommodation. Those families who (thankfully) aren’t sleeping on the streets, but who face a real threat of becoming homeless and simply cannot wait years for homes to be built for them.
The latest Dublin Region Homeless Executive figures revealed 371 families with 803 children were living in emergency accommodation last month. This is a 40% increase on comparable figures from last June when the Executive started tracking the number of families in emergency accommodation in Dublin.
Too many families are relying on private rented accommodation
Yet however worrying these figures are, they should not be a surprise. The risk factors for families becoming homeless are not being sufficiently addressed. The lack of development of social housing during the recession means too many families are relying on private rented accommodation. This leaves low income families completely vulnerable to market forces and private landlords with no safety net.
As has been well documented, rent supplements are not near enough to cover the actual cost of rents, too many landlords are still not accepting rent supplement clients and others are selling up leaving families with nowhere to go.
Barnardos is working with one family who are barely hanging onto their home. They are living in private rental accommodation but have to top up their rent supplement by a whopping €450 every month. This cash is being scraped together from child benefit and other social welfare payments, meaning other essential living costs simply cannot be met and other debts continue to mount up. And we know they are far from being the only ones.
Heartbreaking stories of desperate families
The detrimental impact of the housing crisis on children is varied and intense. We are working with parents who have been unable to secure access visits with their children because the parent was in emergency accommodation; parents who have had to make the heartbreaking decision to leave their children in care for longer because they are unable to secure appropriate accommodation.
We know of one child who couldn’t get onto a waiting list for an operation because he was living in emergency accommodation and therefore technically was of no fixed abode.
The level of desperation is so acute that in some cases parents are considering becoming homeless voluntarily in the hope that six months in emergency accommodation will secure them more stable homes.
Imagine how terrifying and unsettling this is for children
The current stock of emergency accommodation remains totally unsuitable for families. The new beds are essentially dormitory accommodation in overcrowded hostels. Families housed in B&Bs often have to leave the premises during the day and wander. Parents have to travel further to bring children to school which affects their attendance and ability to participate. Families are living in rooms with no space to cook, do laundry, play or do homework and are surrounded by strangers. Imagine how terrifying and unsettling that is for children.
While the Government is taking steps to tackle the lack of social housing with €3.8bn allocated to provide 35,000 new social housing units by 2020, their response to the private rented sector issues is inadequate. Rent supplement levels are woefully low, and issues are emerging with the transfer to the Housing Assistance Payments meaning families have to make up the deficit to afford the rent being charged. There is also a continued reduction in the availability of the Rental Accommodation Scheme.
We need realistic, family-friendly emergency accommodation
The proposed ban on landlords refusing rent allowance and a pledge to consider some mechanism of rent controls are steps in the right direction, but they are not nearly enough. We need realistic, immediate rent controls and localised, family-friendly emergency accommodation. The mooted wraparound service for families in emergency accommodation centres involving a number of support services must materialise immediately.
We cannot say we didn’t see this coming. We cannot say we don’t know what to do. This information has been in the public domain for a year now. We must see Government action that recognises the particularly devastating impact housing insecurity has on children.
June Tinsley is Head of Advocacy with Barnardos, a children’s charity which works with vulnerable children and their families in Ireland and campaigns for the rights of all children. Follow her on Twitter at @june_tinsley.
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This is beyond sad. And nothing is really happening about it. Alan Kelly refused to impose rent caps which may have helped slightly but we can see the reasons why..too many of his peers have rental properties and would lose. Just think..If he approached the homeless crisis the arrogant and ham fisted bullying way he approached the irish water debacle..it could be half sorted by now. Unfortunately it doesn’t help his buddies out so does not take priority.
Rent caps are kind of dictatorial
#MrsB that’s part of the reason he has so many registered on his water list. His landlord friends. But it’s so two faced to be worrying about people in Nigeria and aid for them yet nothing but get rich schemes for Government buddies in Ireland as a solution for families of homelessness in Ireland. Shame on this Government. But Karma is wonderful. I hope to see it soon
Not sure about rent caps, but introducing a European style rent index would certainly help ease the crisis.
It’s no fun being broke ! And as a country we are well and truly BROKE !
It’s no fun being broke ! And a a nation we are well and truly BROKE !
This is what happen to people when you vote in bankers lapdogs ff fg labour greens they shafted the people for the greedy bankers https://youtu.be/27UL3tZW1bk
Eric
Making people homeless is kind of dictatorial when you have the power to stop it, the State has the power !
So this is the government’s solution?
Free houses for those at the bottom.
More Free money for those at the top.
Courtesy of the squeezing the life out of the middle.
Or did I miss something?
Yes David F, you missed something. The middle class is being deliberately destroyed, our masters only want a new feudal system, it worked better for them. Try googling terms like ” demise of American middle class ”
This has been a hot subject for many for years, with the help of a owned media and mass migration they have managed to hide it from the public for years.
Eugenics and the dictators have returned.
Amen Gerard.
It’s hard to tell if Hitler was as cruel.
This is something that will never happen to Enda or Joan, I listened to his smugness Brian Hayes confirm on radio yesterday that he could not live on the minimum wage, Did it get any coverage, No.
to do anything, they are told by Frankfurt what to do and we don’t get to vote in Frankfurt!
Yes, but Frankfurt has rent control.
Do you get the feeling that Enda et al were cherry picking the troika policies?
I mean there was a derogation on water charges…
Well we are where we are but we were not obliged to pay the unsecured bond holders and they shouldn’t have been paid back. Some people will never want to work or pay for anything. Such is life. But the vast majority of us are struggling to pay our bills and keep the roof over our heads. We work, pay our taxes and are coping as best we can. The fear that this government has instilled on people who are quite vulnerable is sickening. You cannot get blood from a stone. There is only so much people can take. The bullying tactics used by this government has led to an increase in suicide. Their lack of understanding towards the daily struggles people are faced with is clear from their demands for more money. The homelessness situation is at crisis point and they don’t appear to be dealing with it at all. People are angry. We have every right to feel let down. The majority of people are paying their way but you cannot continue to take take take while the fat cats line their pockets. They need to act now. Sit down, revisit their tactics and take ownership for the situation. The people need to see a strong leader who isn’t afraid to admit that mistakes have been made. But most importantly they need to see the government take action. Deal with the mess! They have elected by the people and need to start putting their interests first.
Heart breaking. We, the public, tend to gauge homelessness through the numbers of people we see on the streets. The true extent is hidden in b&bs, hostels etc. Over 800 children homeless in the Dublin region alone. At times, there is little we can do yo prevent people sleeping on the streets, but there is a lot the government can do to prevent families being evicted. Shameful. Modern Ireland. The best small country to do business in, the worst to live in
Yet FG/Lab remain in office. This elitest government has Ireland on it knees paying back debth belonging to a few, very few elite. Their greed knows no bounds. Kids turfed on street for banks whom robbed their parents to survive. Now they turn on their very saviors. This government stans by and watches. Just on today’s journal one sees what they care about. Tax everything… Traitors beware. A population will not be subservient for long more..
If we want to live in a country in which we can be proud of our social policies and ensure things like this never happen, then is costs money. If we object to paying taxes or paying for our utilities then the money simply will not be there. There are too many hypocrites out there that want everything but are not prepared to pay for it!
Considering all of our property tax was paid to unsecured bond holders and this year’s water charge will only pay for the consultancy fees, can you blame people for not paying? You’d be very naive to think this money actually helps us :)))
Bond holders are the people we borrowed money from and we are simply paying back the money we borrowed. Again the concept of paying for things we get as opposed to just taking. The greed of people in this country got us into this mess, yes the banks let us get here and should stopped it but it was the Irish people’s greed to buy more houses, have new cars and lot of holidays etc. We went through a 10 year period of lunacy and the vast majority of the country were trying to cash in. Now it is pay back time.
LG, have you been living under a rock the past 7 years? The dogs on the street know what happened, but you are still peddling the Govt spin of 2010. Amazing.
Bond holders are the people the banks borrowed from, and yes WE are paying it back.
@ love Guinness we did not borrow from the bondholders they chose to invest in certain banking institutions and lost their investment but then the government decided to secure these losses with government bonds and in doing so enslaved the Irish people for generations. Facts not spin
Love Guinness…your understanding of our situation and many others like you is what has this country up the swanee………..go and educate yourself about the bank debt……and when you think understand it and you then vote FF, FG or Lab back in again….you didn’t understand it….again.
When you actually do understand it….you’ll chop your own fingers off before you’ll ever consider ticking the ballot sheet for FF, FG or Labour again or even the Greens.
What’s the spin? We borrowed money, spent it all and decided to pay it back although it was not a requirement. However the implications of not paying it back were significant.
And who borrowed the money from the banks? How many people borrowed money for bigger houses, investment houses, holidays homes etc.
We did borrow from bond holders. The banks support our economy and the banks borrowed money from bond holders to continue to stimulate the economy that the greedy people of Ireland wanted. If people did not borrow money for bigger and newer houses the financial crisis would not of happened. It is a little naive to believe that banks borrowed money and the bankers lost it. The most influential stakeholder in an economy is the population of people contributing to it and not the banks or the bond holders
Alas Al Ca, it is people like you that do not understand economics that create this uneducated hype about bond holders and banks and what the financial institutions should / should not do. Go back to basics and the fundamental principle of spending less than you actually earn and map that against Irish people for the last 10 years. People were living beyond their means and at some stage the bubble was going to burst!
You really are clueless and easily lead.
Al Ca, as I am clueless would you do me a favour and point out anything I have said that is factually incorrect. This would really help me to learn what it’s all about as I can find anything in your posts other than you saying I am wrong or clueless or easily led. Can you explain your understanding of the current situation and may be we can all learn a bit from you?
No, when money is borrowed it is created out of thin air, so it already exists in the system, so why pay it back because that is double money being paid back to the system.
Wow, that lack of understanding is scary!
We did not borrow from bondholders, the banks are a drain on our economy, and everyone was too greedy with the banks being the worst.
The bondholders were insured and they got their losses back, then we doubled paid them and even gave the a billion euros extra, bondholders are suppose to take risks for profits. That is the name of the game and it is gambling?
Sorry to burst your bubble but we did borrow from bond holders!
He sounds like a bondholder and a heartless cruel one at that
LG, when you understand how money and debt are created you will be able to talk about it, until then learn a little about the subject.
Bondholders invest and gamble, can you imagine how stable anything is when you have to gamble to make money???
803 children living in emergency accommodation in Feb 2015. If there was ever a reason to march ….. surely this is it.
————————————– Financial Predators ———————-
Landlords who max your Rent
Banks who max your Debt (and force family evictions in pursuit of payment)
Political Parties who max your Tax
……. will young people get off their arse and vote …. older class are a disgrace.
————————————
That’s so sad.
@LGuineness “That’s so sad” puerile comment ..sounds like an economist …. extreme caution … not the sharpest knives in the drawer as we all know.
Not all old.
What annoys me most of all about the homeless situation is that it took the death of Mr. Jonathan Corrie for the Government to act. That should not have happened, there should have been measures beforehand, not done simply out of embarrassment because he died outside the Department of Taoiseach. The Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) are doing a terrific job with assisting people on the street, but even they say that the support from the government dried up when public attention moved away. What will it take now for the government to bring back support – the death of a small family? Actions not “proposals” are what is needed.
Ugly Truth is , our policies have created an atmosphere wherein the number of children in State care has doubled in very short time , parents have suddenly got so bad? , or exam papers becoming policy ?
Frankfurt school 101 #destructionofthemanifold
Now you are talking. Yes to procure more children for the fostering business, simply make them homeless.
Well I remember a social worker telling me that he would make me homeless in DV case in order to procure my children for the fostering business because the law is if a child is homeless the state can take them into its “care”.Care that leads to children being 6 times more likely to be abused than at home.
How much did tax payers pay to Fostering UK a few years ago – £28 million- so the money went abroad and our children were and are the commodity.
Ugly Truth
Poverty and homelessness is just another facet of terrorism by the dictatorship, another lever to force the citizens to conform to what is decided for them.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2128987/Children-stolen-state.html
Many households avail of the rent a room scheme which I proposed to Charlie McCreevy when he was Minister for Finance.It succeeded because it was cost neutral on the exchequer.
A variation on this would be to allow a notional tax- free allowance on what would be the normal increase in the rent provided that the landlord can show that he/she has chosen not to increase the rent by the normal increase. The landlord can then declare this as an expense in his/her tax return and not be taxed on a portion of the actual income equal to the foregone increase. This would accumulate over several years resulting in the cost to the renter being held static. It frees up income for the renter which will be spent in the economy thus generating tax for the State. The benefit for the Landlord is that he/she can take in a portion of the rent tax-free and the tenant can have the property knowing that the rent will not increase.This formula could also be used as a benefit for the Banks if instead of repossessing the property a fair rental agreement could be entered into enabling the bank to have a return and the Owner to remain within the property. The Banks could then write the excess over the cost of the mortgage against the tax due to the State. The Owner could then remain in the property on condition that the Banks have a lien on the property on the death of the Owner or remaining Spouse in order to retrieve its investment. The residue goes to the Diseased’s estate when the time comes.
Sad, disturbing thought.
L g not sure what you mean when you say we borrowed, I did not buy house or houses, on who’s behalf are you speaking, please clarify,.
Itzme
In my posts I am referring to the economics behind the current financial situation we find ourselves in. From an economic perspective we need to look at the country as a whole as it is the cumulative actions that effect economic change and not those of individuals. Although you may not have borrowed to buy a house, unfortunately too many of your peers did and the impact of these people borrowing beyond is now somewhat unfairly impact you in you pocket as you need to pay higher taxes to get us out of this mess. It is these people that got us into this mess. So when I use the term ‘we’ I am referring to the Irish population.
11 million empty homes across Europe. 5 million homeless people living on the streets.
This situation must change.
http://www.feantsa.org/spip.php?page=sommaire&lang=en
Tommy Newman
It will never change, mass migration, racism, poverty and homelessness are stock in trade tools for the governments to enforce their corrupt dictatorships.
LG, we is a very broad term, you might consider changing it to some people. As I am independently financially secure I did not borrow any anything from any one and resent having to pay for the banks
Itzme
I am with you on that, I hate paying for the utter stupidity of other people. But we are in this situation and unfortunately there is very little we can do about it.
Love Guinness, have you tried to understand the economic mess or have you just relied on school yard political gossip as nothing you said made sense. And that is seen from the thumbs down you got I’m afraid…
Have a look into the mess and you will see that the mess at its core has the ECB and the Euro at it and this government being a bunch of hopeless gits who didn’t know what to do but hand over our budgets to the Germans who didn’t know what to do but to create austerity to be seen to do something, it is that simple Aidan.
Looks like his story is repeating itself. Back to the workhouses soon with the spliting up of families. All part of the 2020 plan.
I thought the taxpayers bailed out the banks to stop this from ever happening, so where is that money now or did the government just lied to us again?
All part of the auto genocide plan.
Catherine Mills
Yes, Eugenics has always been a very popular weapon of the establishment political dictatorship.
My children and I were made homeless by the family law courts because the perpetrator – aided and abetted by a HSE social worker decided that the home I built and paid for should go to him. The perpetrator also got the other home on the property.Because the children and I refused to tell untruths for the perpetrator we were punished – called witches, etc and”shame on us for not knowing our place as women and children in RC Ireland-”Judges words exactly. “Either go home and obey or walk the streets”. The streets were safer, so we took them for 14 years. No one in the system bothered if we lived or died and we expected nothing from it either.
Me an my family became homeless last May my kidz have seen been t hell an back the past year the future still looking bleak wit no light at the end of the tunnel for us
This will be my 5 year old in one months time.
It’s not so much terrifying as confounding–the thought and realisation of having no point of terminus. Your direction of travel is of no consequence and as a child you are ill-equipped to remedy the situation.
This is an immensely important article. Our politicians need to read this article, understand the impact of homelessness on children and ensure that wharver else happens no child and no family with a child or children is rendered homeless.
Listen Peasants get with the programme alright. This society were trying to build has no time for empathy is a survival society that breeds competition amongst those of ye who we regard as animals. We notice that we have gone up in the polls that I all the endorsement we need to crack the whip harder sure aren’t we just giving what ye want. We dont respect ye why should we ye don’t respect ye why should we ye don’t respect yereselves or each other. We will deliver the Ireland ye long for .
Should mobile homes be a solution?
Well if Joan doesn’t want us to have mobile phones can’t see her giving us mobile homes
have your say