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Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland

The Irish economy is meant to be recovering but July saw homeless families reach record levels

In 2012, an average of 8 families were becoming homeless in Dublin each month. Now it’s 70 families.

NEW FIGURES BY the homeless charity Focus Ireland show the number of homeless families in Dublin is at a record level high.

In 2012, an average of 8 families were becoming homeless in Dublin each month. This has now shot up to an average of nearly 70 families presenting as homeless to Focus Ireland family services in Dublin every month so far this year.

In July, 77 families, including 155 children, from Dublin became homeless last month, 70 of whom had never been homeless before.

In the first seven months of the year 466 families became homeless, almost as many as for all of 2014.

Speaking to RTÉ’s Morning Ireland Director of Advocacy Mike Allen said there are well over 500 families currently in emergency accommodation and some have been in it for over two years now.

‘Another record figure’

“Every month we come out with larger and larger figures and for people listening they say, ‘oh here’s another record figure.’”

The reality of the circumstances for these families is that they are still feeling the consequences made by politicians before the economic crash, he said.

Ironically, he said, these record levels of homelessness are occurring at a time when the public is being told that Ireland’s economy is recovering.

Allen said people are hearing from government about what’s been achieved and how the economy is turning around, when for these families they “are still seeing the appalling effects of the crisis and political decisions made before the crash”. 

When the government announce what they are going to do in reality they are just press releases.

He said there has been a number of non-starters despite government promises.

Allen said they have campaigned for over two years for rent supplement to be increased and it has remained frozen while families lose their homes. Dublin City Council promised to renovate empty dwellings and this has not been achieved also.

The main problem is the lack of new builds for social housing, he added.

Not just a Dublin issue 

However, the problem is not just a Dublin issue.

A Cork-based homeless service has said they are seeing more and more women and children seeking a bed after being evicted.

Good Shepherd Services (GSS) say increased demand has meant that they have had to turn away 130 women and children in the first three months of this year.

The charity provides both emergency and long-term accommodation for women and children and says they are now helping more than they were last year.

“It’s countrywide problem,”says Good Shepard’s CEO Tony O’Riordan.

“It’s definitely worst in Dublin but it shouldn’t be talked about that it’s all about a Dublin problem. It’s happening in Cork and I’m sure if you talked to people in Limerick, Waterford and Galway you’d hear the same.”

Figures released yesterday by Cork City Council showed that in July there were 22 families in emergency accommodation across the city. These families consisted of 26 adults and 49 children.

There were also 232 people in single emergency accommodation.

Eviction 

Good Shepard say their accommodation may be provided for a range of reasons like domestic violence, family conflict or though simply having nowhere to stay. Eviction is also becoming a more common reason.

They have 10 family units and 18 single units.

The service says that, between January and March, they helped out in six cases where women and children had been evicted.

“To be fair, it’s a full house all the time,” O’Riordan says. “We have six to eight families who are waiting, so we’re trying to get the ones who are there into other accommodation so we move those waiting in.”

“Nobody wants to see anyone on the streets but you certainly don’t want to see women or children on the streets.”

The family units are 160 sq-ft and have a bed for a parent and up to two bunk beds, they have their own bathroom but O’Riordan explains that the real issue is that floor-space “is tiny”.

In the single unit side, you could have three women in the same room, so the main problem is that you’ve nowhere for your own headspace.

“Sometimes the only place you can get some privacy is in the bathroom.”

Homelessness is a persistent problem but it has been brought back into the headlines as stories emerge of families being forced to sleep in cars.

O’Riordan says that he himself is not currently aware of any such cases in the Cork City area but that the problems associated with families being evicted and having nowhere to go are getting worse.

“It’s very traumatic losing your home. I don’t think people can comprehend what it’s like to have that taken away from you.”

O’Riordan says that the lack of supply of houses is a problem and the associated issue of high rents is putting pressure on homeless services.

“Our sole objective at GSS is to work with the women and children we care for and break the cycle of homelessness and encourage and support independent living,” he explains.

But like other homeless charities, we are calling on Minister for Environment Alan Kelly, to issue a directive to raise the rent allowance cap to match real market rents and deliver on the government’s promise of rent certainty.

He also points out that promised Nama properties have not materialised to help put a dent in the increasing local authority waiting lists in the city.

“I’m not saying the government are doing nothing but they need to be doing more.”

First published 6am. Additional reporting Christina Finn

Read: Alan Kelly is under big pressure to come back from his ‘holidays’ >

Read: A TD says you should “break the law” to keep a roof over your head >

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137 Comments
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    Mute Coli Byrne
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    Aug 28th 2022, 8:27 AM

    “Here’s what to do when the door falls off lads…”

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    Mute David Stapleton
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    Aug 28th 2022, 8:44 AM

    @Coli Byrne: thanks for that, I’m sitting on the small balcony of a rented Airbnb room in Toulouse, trying to be quiet and starting laughing my @55 off.

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    Mute John Doyle
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:07 AM

    @Coli Byrne: Brilliant

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:40 AM

    @Coli Byrne: LoL

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    Mute David Dineen
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    Aug 28th 2022, 10:28 AM

    Before the rot of comments on a sunday creep in, let me say that they save so so many lives in rural communities with the gold plated work they do as air ambulance, last year i saw them save three lives on a sunday morning.. They didnt show anything but professional standards to the commuinty.. Hat off to them (point your ire to the politcal class)

    198
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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 10:44 AM

    @David Dineen: 99 untimely deaths of their own personnel, average age 53, hundreds of personel sick, genetic & developmental harm to the children of personnel, fish kills in local rivers, lying to WRC, lying to HC, CoA & SC, lying to EPA, lying to Oireachtas via Minister, legal action threatened by HSA & FSAI, serious sexual assault allegation by both male & female personnel, medical boarding of sick personel they injured, theft of aircraft to avoid mandatory drugs test, rigging of air quality tests, hiding of adverse air quality test results, use of banned chemicals, dumping of toxic chemicals in the ground and on and on and on.

    I’ll point my ire at the perpetrators thank you.

    55
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    Mute David Dineen
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    Aug 28th 2022, 10:52 AM

    @Gavin Tobin: you do realise you talking about the process and policy etc? Im writing about the in realtime experience of humans saving humans using proffesional and empathic skills, before or after ur ire is wasted and saved in the datashpere for ever maybe dont be so harsh on you and others, its not a good look and wont get u far in making your valid points stick to the heart of those who u want to change

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 11:01 AM

    @David Dineen: I’m talking about the culture, the Air Corps are a rogue service. Air Ambulance is not a military role and civvy Air Ambulance can save lives too without the corruption, negligence & incompetence.

    You are making a “but what about all the good priests” argument. The Air Corps are letting their own personnel die without medical intervention by downplaying the scandal to everybody in authority & media they have the ear of.

    The RAAF did the right thing quickly in a similar scandal that reduced suffering and saved lives. Why can’t the Air Corps do that, why are they letting their own die unnecessarily?

    31
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    Mute David Dineen
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    Aug 28th 2022, 11:29 AM

    @Gavin Tobin: as a sexual abuse surviour of familly and insutional abuse i reject your insenstive comment, it says alot when peoole use the pain and suffering of a group of people whose vioces remain shut because of abuse to make a point…

    15
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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 11:40 AM

    @David Dineen: Thanks for the straw man argument, I’m not buying it. The Catholic Church needed good people look the other way for their corrupt ways to continue. The Irish Air Corps also needs people to look the other way and also needs apologists to help perpetuate their saintly myth.

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    Mute David Dineen
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    Aug 28th 2022, 12:27 PM

    @Gavin Tobin: people like you u mean? Yup i agree your parents and no doubt the cultrue of raising you deeply contributed to the abuse of children..

    5
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    Mute Damien Leen
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:18 AM

    And this one time we actually got to fly in the helicopter!

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    Mute Gin & Jetfuel
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    Aug 28th 2022, 3:23 PM

    @Damien Leen: Oddy enough those of us living near Baldonnel see these rotary winged aircraft overhead multiple times a day.

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:24 AM

    Will #IrishAirCorps be sending their incompetent & negligent Health & Safety experts too?

    Perhaps they can tell the yanks about the body count in Heli Wing from catastrophic chemical health & safety from the late 60s to present as well as chemical hazing incidents in the past that destroyed the health of Heli & Avionics personnel as well as many others passing the hangar doors.

    The attempted media rehabilitation of the Air Corps is nauseating at this stage. #99dead #IAC100 #DelayDenyDie

    77
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    Mute Eoin Roche
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    Aug 28th 2022, 1:10 PM

    @Gavin Tobin: Your copy and paste diatribes on every article about the Defence Forces are boring at this stage. These claims for damages caused allegedly by chemicals misuse are with the State Claims Agency now, are they not? What do you expect to achieve with this guff every five minutes?

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 2:48 PM

    @Eoin Roche: My priority is to help save lives and reduce suffering. This is not being done as it was done in NL Defence Forces & RAAF with targeted medical intervention.

    State Claims Agency are frustrating cases & High Court doesn’t do healthcare.

    Thanks for your concern and apologies for boring you Sir.

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    Mute Eoin Roche
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    Aug 28th 2022, 3:33 PM

    @Gavin Tobin: And what does repeatedly posting the same grievances here do for any of that? Anyone with an interest in the Defence Forces knows about these issues for at least the last 5 years. Bleating about how the media cover current DF stories, as if it has some context to those cases, is just a waste of everyone’s time.

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 3:39 PM

    @Eoin Roche: The public need reminding of state impropriety such as DF incompetence, negligence & corruption especially when the DFPO are on an inane propaganda offensive.

    I’ll keep fighting for those without a voice and for those who are not taking legal cases.

    You keep looking the other way like a proper yes man!

    19
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    Mute Dave Omihuly
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:50 PM

    @Gavin Tobin: plus the chief of staff is flying club so he is plugging his own branch in the media 24/7 just like the Muppet melett before him was banging on about the navy …. hasn’t been a real chief of staff since the 90is now its just a political appointment actually they would probably be better off letting the orderly sgt on the day do the job of COS

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:58 PM

    @Dave Omihuly: Yea it was all ships for years with no one to sail them, now it’s all airplanes with no one to maintain them except manufacturer contractors.

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    Mute Pat O'Brien
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    Aug 28th 2022, 10:05 AM

    So I have just reached the end of the Internet.

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    Mute Reg
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    Aug 28th 2022, 11:37 AM

    Nice jolly!

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    Mute Dave Omihuly
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    Aug 28th 2022, 10:46 AM

    I bet that flight sgt feels right out of place stuck with a bunch of officers

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    Mute Y U no spell good?
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    Aug 28th 2022, 10:50 AM

    @Dave Omihuly: even with the Sgt who was part of the the team of three?

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    Mute Dave Byrne
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    Aug 28th 2022, 12:42 PM

    The joke at the time going around was that the decision to purchase the AW139 was due to all the property developers using them.

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 1:03 PM

    @Dave Byrne: A civvy spec heli just painted army green.

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    Mute Gin & Jetfuel
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    Aug 28th 2022, 3:25 PM

    @Gavin Tobin: so quite appropriate as a “Utility transport helicopter” then?
    Lots of military forces use ruggedised civil vehicles.

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 3:33 PM

    @Gin & Jetfuel: it is not ruggedised in any way. The bean counters in the DoD would not allow it. Apparently even the green paint had to be fought for.

    11
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    Mute Dave Omihuly
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:44 PM

    What the hell can our flying club teach the US military about choppers they are flying every shape and size of chopper that’s around….they are use them like we use jeeps in the defence forces here ….and many of them flown by national guard ( reserve’s) they have that many of the things if they break one they take a new one out of the wrapper…..and are doing so well before Vietnam…when we where still using British army left over vehicles….as usual nice mingy trip for a few officers out of the flying club

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 10:00 PM

    @Dave Omihuly: Did they bring a higher (unneeded) rank to maximise sub :)

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    Mute Mick Cullen
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    Aug 28th 2022, 10:19 AM

    Ha Ha Ha Teeeee

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    Mute
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:20 AM

    Why?

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Aug 28th 2022, 9:28 AM

    They need to teach the yanks how to close the aft doors properly, air corps leaders in door losing :)

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    Mute Paul Whitehead
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    Aug 29th 2022, 7:36 AM

    Are we sending over our aircraft Carrier experts too? (though right now the Royal Navy may have a greater need for our Carrier expertise as the UK flagship carrier is broken down and anchored off the south coast.)

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    Mute Dónal Ó Keeffe
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    Aug 29th 2022, 8:56 AM

    Just a purchasing mission. Wining and dining our officers to sell us some helicopters

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