Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
FIGURES RELEASED BY the Government today show that there were over 1,000 families in homeless accommodation in September.
The report, which is released every month, is broken down by age, gender, region, and the housing scheme under which they fall – and shows a rise across all demographics.
Figures show that there were 4,283 adults, 1,173 families and 2,426 children sleeping in emergency accommodation in September of this year, representing an increase of almost 100 families compared to August.
The Government introduced ‘Rebuilding Ireland – an Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness’ in July of this year with the aim of “tackling homelessness in a comprehensive manner” through increasing the housing supply and a number of other proactive measures.
The Department of Housing defended the figures release, saying that although there were rises, there were significant measures taken in their plan to fight homelessness:
“For example, during the course of 2015, housing authorities assisted in 2,322 sustainable exits from homelessness, i.e. into independent social housing or supported private rented tenancies.
“More than 1,350 exits were achieved nationally in the first half of this year and in Dublin a further 411 exits have been achieved in the third quarter.
“A total of 1,761 exits nationally,” according to the Department.
“I have said that it will take time to turn the tide on homelessness for both families and individuals,” added Minister for Housing Simon Coveney.
Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin accused the government of publishing the figures late and “quietly on the Department website on a day when the media are focused on the Brexit forum.”
He added that “these figures do not include those sofa-surfing or those refused access to emergency accommodation despite having no home of their own.
Response
Focus Ireland said that while it is supporting at least one family to move on from homelessness every day this year, the reality is that inadequate prevention strategies means more than one other family becomes homeless that same day.
Focus Ireland director of advocacy Mike Allen said:
“We need to stop the constant flow of families and single people becoming homeless.”
Our frontline staff have seen first-hand that the two key reasons families are becoming homeless is one, landlords are selling up and getting out of the business, and two, rising rents.
“Both these issues are within the power of the government to tackle and while they have taken some actions they have clearly not done enough, fast enough.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
But we have 1000′s of 25 year old male children from abroad to accommodate 1st. Help thy neighbour and so on…
There isn’t enough housing because the rentier elite gets very rich as a result. This is government policy and has nothing to do with refugees.
I’m afraid it does when they get catered for before our own, Billy.
Well it does if the government us saying they can house 4000 Syrians and now 200 young adults from Calais. When they say that, then it has everything to do with refugees/economic migrants
We would have a homeless crisis irrespective of the refugees. It’s government policy and it won’t be resolved by denying desperate people sanctuary. Our real enemies speak in the same accents and sing the same national anthems as ourselves.
So will the refugees be given houses when they arrive or will they be in hotels and hostels like these homeless families are in now ?
Billy refugees and economic immigrants do you know the difference ?
@Suzie Sunshine: Put in reception centres run for profit by political cronies and given €19 a week, like the rest of our asylum applicants.
Daisy .. they bypass the Dp centres and most families that have arrived here so far have already been housed and have full rights the same as Irish citizens .. no housing waiting lists for them …
Apparently according to Enda and his cohorts the country is in recovery…..
Tell that 230 workers whose jobs are gone in cameron longford. All jobs moved2 low cost romania.
@gregory: sadly more of this is in progress and in planning. MNCs will move countries, say to India, when it suits. We will see more and more of this.
Keep the recovery going Enda, sure dont we all believe you………
Irish Times have an editorial imploring the government to accept 200 migrants from Calais. There are no virtue seeking points to be earned in d4 progressive circles advocating for indigenous homeless.
@martin kilbane: Racism alive and well in Ireland. Sadly…
@Gordian Knot: it is not a case of either or. Both can be helped.
@Micheal OLainn: How dare you limit out help to only both of them !!! What about people in Iraq, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Malawi or Haiti you heartless beast !!
This problem is epidemic in Europe now. London homeless numbers have doubled in the last 5 years. Germany has huge numbers homeless in urban centres like Berlin. It has the biggest class disparity in the whole of Europe. Our problem has been compounded by the bailout and stringent deadlines on repayments with the troika alongside threats from Trichet et al. This is what happens when global vulture funds buy up property left right and centre across the globe to buoy up the S&P 500 for the wealthy elements of society. The free market is turning into a nightmare for the masses as property prices are beyond most everywhere at this point and local councils are bound by the tender market for local authority housing. Its all crashing down. We are almost back to the point where Marie Antoinettes ‘let them eat cake’ is pertinent to the moment not the past. We kept our eye off the ball here for the years Trichet Juncker and Draggi dictated affairs. Cant see us coming back from this surge of homelessness. Unless the free market is harnassed and vulture fund activities are restricted we are on the road to nowhere. How is this going to happen when we are bound by the confines of the Lisbon treaty and the recklessness of the free market?
Does that make it ok so that we still have useless gobs#!t@$ like Kenny and Martin running the country. The same Martin who was in the gov that heaped the gov debt onto the people and the same Kenny who couldn’t organise a pi$$ up in a brewery.
@Adrian: 50% of Irish voted for them so every second person here is happy with what they did and do.
@saoirse janneau: I think it was a case that 50% who voted for FF, weren’t FF supporters but did so in order to vote for the most credible option against FG and, and visa versa, so individual support for these parties is closer to 20% or 30% than 50% and their true combined support is a lot less than 50%. FF and FG saw the only option for themselves getting on the politicial gravy train and getting control of the all important power (so they can manipulate and abuse it to their own advantage), was to come together, so thats what they did, in their own best interests, regardless of the interests of everybody else. The most important thing that matters to these politicians is first to get enough votes from their own crowd in their own constituency to get themselves elected, (usually a few thousand votes will get them elected) and then do what they can to get their party into power, which benefits themselves more.
maybe if we take more people outa the mediterranean then bring them over here give them everything that i have to work dam hard for it will solve the problem,well that’s what they’re looking into???????
The government are not trying to solve the housing crisis. They’ve deliberately kept housing as a scare and expensive commodity as the big capital elites get very rich as a result. The homeless crisis has nothing to do with desperate refugees drowning in their thousands in the Med.
@lee, billy is right on this one as there is a political will that spends a huge budget on semi-permanent emergency accommodation instead of increasing in a steady sustainable rate of social housing. this has nothing to do with refugees or homeless people on the streets, but those that we have ample budget to spend on emergency accommodation, which is always available if needed, and what we are offering these children and families.
Ka boom leeweiler. 100%
believe me billy,I know how broken the whole system is and how corrupt within it’s self it is,i’m merely stating how ironic it is that we are in no fit shape to house our own people never mind taking in 4000 more from god knows were that we know absolutely nuthin about……
“dey tuk ur gafs”.
It’s ok, it’s ok, Enda is looking in to porn.
I bet he is
Keep recovery going … OMG…
Meanwhile zero tax cameron sends jobs and 14mln of grant aid equipment 2 romania. 230 families devastated.
Have we gone back a hundred years, what’s next? tenements, workhouses and cholera outbreaks. Time to f@@k some of those spending caps and get it sorted, fiscal wrecktitude has its limits.
“SF councillor claims families are making themselves homeless to get social housing”…https://www.rte.ie/news/2016/1021/825859-sf-families-become-homeless-to-get-social-housing/
Eddie. That’s always been the case..
A report on tonight’s 9 o’clock news featured a woman who became homeless along with her children when she moved out of her parents’ house and into a hotel room. Does it not occur to her that, whatever differences she might have with her parents, living with her parents is better for her children than a hotel room?
@Ciarán Masterson: Maybe it wasn’t Ciaran….
Ciarán. .. it’s a sure way to get herself a house. ..
@Suzie Sunshine: I guess you missed the point about this article and the homeless situation Suzie. But never mind stick to your prejudices and you will be fine.
@Kerry Blake:
How could having her children and herself living with her parents not be better than living in a hotel room? According to the news report, she left the family home. That indicates that she wasn’t thrown out. Surely, her parents love her and her children and so would prefer that they would be eating healthy food in their home instead of, as she said, going to the chipper.
@Kerry Blake:
I recommend that you read the informative comments made by Lauren Masterson (no relation) on the following page:
http://www.thejournal.ie/readme/housing-crisis-families-2360092-Oct2015/
@Suzie Sunshine:
Indeed.
Kerry , I haven’t missed the point of this article at all .. the comment by Ciaran has raised another reason as to why some people are homeless. .
Imagine how many would be homeless if it was,nt for the RECOVERY.
The world as we once knew it is now gone, when things we local we had less but we all own the peice we had, once when property was built for the ordinary working to buy mortgages could be gotten even tho technical we could not afford very few missed payments or got them reposed like we see now more people losing their homes, more people can’t afford rent, living costs gone way beyond what we earn compare our wages to our grand parents and what their outlay was we are very under paid.
We are fully squeezed now they haven’t gotten every drop from us.
@JustMade Ireland: Fall of communism caused it.
Time to adjust to more modern living, smaller spaces less stuff, more shared space. The Irish obsession to clinging to days of a ‘good sitting room’ that’s never used in a detached suburban house in a city where the buildings only go 7 stories is well and truly outdated.
And what are you talking about very few missed payments. It’s standard in Ireland to squat for at least 2-3 years before you can be evicted.
Drew. . That’s very true .. you could be well over a year trying to get somebody who’s not paying rent out .. in that time the landlord is getting more into debt . With a bit of luck they’ll leave the property in a decent state otherwise it’ll cost thousands to fix .. the renters walk away without having to pay a cent towards the repairs .
Fg,labour,policies.never forgive them.
1000 families not individuals…
I read recently in the Fingal Independent about 65 Roma families that are housed in Balbriggan will someone please tell me why this is so? and before ya all shout racist. I am not a racist I hate everyone equally.
I cannot for the life of me see why these people are housed before are own are housed they also say they are 97% unemployed so benefits are either paying the rent or they have been housed from housing stock with no payments ..confused and worried for where we are heading with our own homeless families and children
@ Linda, my friend & her husband & kids have been given notice that their landlord is selling the rented house they have lived in for 7 years. They live in a rural town, an hour’s drive from Dublin, where they are both working. Frantic, they went to their local council to be told the housing list is virtually closed, as the waiting time was 11-14 years. There is not a hope of a private house rental, none to be got. But, during the summer SEVEN middle Eastern families were moved into prime local properties, all newly re-decorated & furnished for them. And moved in….with a Garda escort, no less. Under the noses of the very gob-smacked locals, some of whom are themselves or have families that have been years waiting on housing!!! Needless to say there is huge local anger over this. And this town is only one of many in Ireland, where this is happening.
@Anne Marie Dowdall: you couldn’t make it UP!! That is insane :O(( ..and then those who make these decisions wonder why tensions are running high and people who question WHY are branded racist or worst ! Things need to change and change fast …Ireland needs to grow a pair of balls !!!
@Anne Marie Dowdall: The same in Sandyford Stillorgan ´refuges moving into newly decorated houses = I have to move out after 10 Years and travel to work for 1 hour . sad.
As Baldrick Kenny says “We have a cunning plan”
Well done Coveney! What’ll he do, probably organise another media event to launch another housing strategy. Fine taoiseach he’d make!
@Adrian: Too close to Christmas. Nothing happens over Christmas, the same way nothing happens in August.
@Adrian: I glad I not homeless but think this is disgusting and the Fine Gael mantra has failed these families and people. They do a lot of talking and never follow up with any action. England is purchasing over 1000 pre built site assembly homes today to fill their housing needs. We need permission from Europe to build these social houses. Maybe it time to think about the lack of democracy in our own country and tell Europe like Britian did to f”" k off.
In this day and age a child should not be homeless. Disgrace
Scarey.
Easy fix lads, grab a boat, sail off out to sea, put some holes in it so that it takes an age to sink, call in a mayday and then claim asylum IN YOUR OWN COUNTRY, should be grand then, you’ll have a 4 bed house with free bills then. Sorted.
I really think its mind boggling that the government are still sitting on their behinds while this crisis grows by the week Families in 1bedroom hotels and sleeping in their cars . No 1 priority should be our own citizens and this should be a state of emergency. But if our politicians got off their arses and stop wishing it would go away and do something people are sick and tired of listening to their speeches talk is cheap.
have your say