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AN TAOISEACH LEO Varadkar made headlines over the weekend when he said that Ireland has a low level of homelessness when compared with other countries.
Varadkar came in for criticism from homelessness NGOs and opposition politicians for stating that homelessness was low here when compared to Ireland’s “peer countries”.
But what is Ireland’s actual homelessness rate and how do we measure up internationally?
Claim: Ireland has a low level of homelessness when compared to other nations within the EU or OECD*
*TheJournal.ie narrowed the claim to these countries for reasons explained below.
Verdict: UNPROVEN
We will be presenting an overview of this FactCheck on the Pat Kenny Show tonight, TV3, 10pm
What was said
Speaking to reporters at the Fine Gael conference over the weekend, Leo Varadkar responded to a question from TheJournal.ie about Ireland’s rising homelessness numbers: “We are actually a country by international standards compared with our peers that has a low level of homelessness,” the Taoiseach said.
They’re the stats and we can provide them for you and that of course is a good thing. It’s a good thing that in Ireland, we’ve a low level of homelessness compared to our peer countries.
Varadkar later tweeted that he had been asked a question about Ireland “having one of the highest homelessness levels”.
“We don’t by international comparison. That’s a fact,” the Taoiseach said.
TheJournal.ie had been investigating the claim as it had been made previously by Varadkar and Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy.
Announcing the housing budget on 10 October, Murphy said Ireland’s rate of homelessness was “low by international standards, which is a good thing”. He and Taoiseach Varadkar have repeated the claim a number of times since.
In October, Varadkar said in a speech that homelessness in Ireland is “low by international standards”. Murphy made a similar statement last week at the launch of the Peter McVerry Trust’s annual report. He also repeated the claim on RTÉ’s Claire Byrne Live on RTÉ1 on Monday.
Junior Minister at the Department of Housing, Damien English, referenced the claim again in the Dáil yesterday, adding that media coverage of the homelessness crisis is “damaging to Ireland’s international reputation”.
The facts
FactCheck contacted the Housing Department and the Government Press Office for the figures they used to back up the statements made by their public representatives.
One report was provided by the Housing Department which looked at homelessness across the European Union. The department also provided links to individual data for a number of EU countries.
(You can view a brief analysis from TheJournal.ie of this data in an additional post here)
A second report was provided by the Government Press Office – this report looked at levels of homelessness within the population of 30 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. For the purpose of this FactCheck, we will regard “peer countries” as those within the EU and the OECD, as set out in the two reports supplied by government.
A spokesperson from the Housing Department said: “The prevalence of homelessness can be difficult to compare at international level because of the wide ranging variations in availability, categorisation and quality of data.
However it is clear from even the most perfunctory examination that Ireland’s rate of homelessness (i.e. number of persons sleeping rough or residing in emergency accommodation) is low by international standards, including within the EU.”
FactCheck will first look at figures for homeless people in Ireland, before going on to compare it to data from other countries, using the reports as a road map.
Homelessness in Ireland
When media, politicians and commentators refer to the number of homeless people living in Ireland, they are usually referring to the number of people (adults and children) staying in State-funded emergency accommodation (hotels, hostels, etc) on a specific week every month.
These figures are released each month by the Housing Department. Under Section 10 of the Housing Act (1988), the department provides various charities with the funding to house homeless people. The numbers provided by the department, then, are all the people who are listed as staying in this state-funded accommodation (as well as in privately-run hotels and B&Bs).
So the latest figures for the week of 18-24 September show that there were 5,250 adults and 3,124 children staying in this type of accommodation – giving a total of 8,374.
As well as this figure, a twice-yearly count of the number of people sleeping rough on the streets of Dublin is also carried out. The latest count for spring found 138 people sleeping rough in Dublin in April (another count is due this month).
There are a number of people who sleep rough in other towns and cities across the country. The numbers are relatively low compared to Dublin and are not measured regularly. Census 2016 found 21 people sleeping rough in cities and towns outside of Dublin – however, for the purpose of this FactCheck we will only use the latest Dublin figure, as that is the number counted by the government.
That bring us to a combined total of 8,512 – this is the figure that the government is working off when it refers to homelessness.
However, there are a number of people in other unsure housing situations that need to be considered, especially when looking at the figures in an international context.
Women and children living in domestic violence refuges are not counted in Ireland’s housing figures (but are in many other countries), as they fall under the remit of Tusla the Child and Family Agency (rather than the Housing Department). A Tusla report found that in 2015, 1,736 women and 2,621 children were accommodated at some stage in domestic violence specialist accommodation such as refuges, safe houses or supported/transitional accommodation.
Ireland’s figures also don’t include the number of people living in Direct Provision centres awaiting a decision on their asylum applications. Latest figures from the Reception and Integration Agency (which is under the remit of the Department of Justice) show that there were 4,873 people living in Direct Provision centres across the state.
Ireland also doesn’t include people staying in institutions (hospitals and prisons, for example) with no home to go to when they leave. There are no national figures for this cohort.
Finally, Ireland’s homelessness figures do not take into account the number of people living in unstable and unsuitable housing situations – for example, couchsurfing with their friends or families, or doubled up in bedrooms.
Commonly referred to as the “hidden homeless” here, it is hard to get even a rough figure of how many people are in this situation across the country.
It is important to include these metrics as some or all of them are used when measuring homelessness in different countries, so it’s important to keep that in mind when comparing figures from different countries.
If Ireland was to include all the above when measuring homelessness – there would be closer to a rough figure of 17,700 homeless people in the country, as well as an unknown number of “hidden homeless”.
Measuring homelessness internationally
As we already stated, it is notoriously difficult to measure homelessness across different countries – even at EU level. This is because different countries use different definitions of homelessness, measure it differently and report on it differently.
One of the reports referenced by government as backing up its claim is the 2014 report from Feantsa – the European homelessness NGO. The report is titled Extent and Profile of Homelessness in European Member States, and looks at homelessness across 15 EU countries.
The second report – referenced by the Government Press Office – is the OECD Homeless Population report, which attempts to track levels of homelessness across OECD nations. Both reports reference a standardised approach to measuring homelessness known as the European Typology of Homelessness (ETHOS) Light system.
The ETHOS Light system was developed by Feantsa as a way of standardising homelessness data from different countries for the basis of research. Under ETHOS Light, there are six categories used to define homelessness, but not all categories apply in each country.
The categories are:
Ireland only uses categories 1-3 in its definitions and measuring of homelessness.
The Feantsa report
The Feantsa report was compiled by getting experts across 15 EU member states to complete a questionnaire exploring the extent of statistical data on homelessness in their countries. The report finds that Ireland and Spain appeared to have the lowest levels of homelessness overall, but it notes that “their definitions did not include some ETHOS Light categories of homelessness”.
For this reason, it would be inaccurate to directly compare their rate of homelessness to other countries which may use other categories of measurement.
All countries typically apply categories 1-3 when counting homelessness (with some exceptions in how they are measured). Ireland is one of the countries that only uses these definitions.
Denmark, Finland and Sweden apply all six categories when counting the number of homeless people.
Meanwhile, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, Czech Republic, Slovenia, Spain all include in some form people living temporarily in conventional housing with family and friends due to a lack of housing (Ireland does not).
It is clear, then, that comparing homelessness across EU countries is difficult from the off. The data used for Ireland in the Feantsa report comes from April 2014, and lists 2,478 people in emergency accommodation and 127 sleeping rough – giving a total of 2,605 (children are not included in this figure).
As already shown, the number of homeless adults has doubled since then. Homeless children are not included in the report, but the number has at least quadrupled since the time of the Feantsa report (according to the official government count).
The Feantsa report attempts to compare EU countries across the six different Ethos Light categories.
However, it states that Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands cannot be included in this comparison as “numbers were collected following a completely different system”.
Of the remaining 10 countries, TheJournal.ie measured the number of homeless people only using categories 1-3 (as used by Ireland), and set it against the current population of the country to get a rough percentage of homelessness.
But as the report notes, even among these categories the data collection and methods used were highly variable from country to country – so they do not provide a comparable look across the countries.
Taking that all into account, the rough percentage of the population in each country that is homeless (using categories 1-3) in the Feantsa report is:
Poland, Sweden and Slovenia all include women’s refuges in their figures (which are not included in Ireland’s figures).
Finland and Poland include non-conventional dwellings like caravans (which are not included in Ireland’s figures).
Still, with this revised list, using old figures from Ireland (including children, homelessness has more than tripled since then, according to government figures), Ireland comes in at number six out of 10.
Even using measurements that are not fully comparable, this calls into question any statement that refers to homelessness here as “low by international standards”.
The OECD report
The exact same issues arise when comparing Ireland against other OECD countries in the homelessness report. The data are taken mostly from the 2016 OECD Questionnaire on Affordable and Social Housing.
In total, 29 out of 35 reporting countries provided data on the number of homeless. The table below shows the number of homeless people and the percentage of the population that is homeless:
As you can see, 3,625 people listed as homeless in Ireland. The figures come from December 2015, and once again, children are not counted.
Ireland’s percentage of the population that is homeless is put at 0.08%, one of the lowest on the list. In the OECD report we see all the same issues applying as above in the Feantsa report.
For example, Australia’s homelessness percentage is put at 0.47% and New Zealand’s is put at 0.94% – both of which are very high when compared with Ireland.
However, people are considered homeless if they have “no other options to acquire safe and secure housing, are without shelter, in temporary accommodation, sharing accommodation with a household or living in uninhabitable housing”.
In New Zealand homelessness is defined as “living situations where people with no other options to acquire safe and secure housing: are without shelter, in temporary accommodation, sharing accommodation with a household or living in uninhabitable housing”.
Both countries employ a much broader definition than Ireland does, making direct comparison meaningless. On top of this, the report relies on unchecked data submitted by countries at different years, ranging from 2006 to 2016 – making comparison difficult.
It is worth noting also that Ireland’s current rate of homelessness as a percentage of the population is closer to 0.18% including children. This would put Ireland 10th on the list out of 30 countries (but, as already stated, it is impossible to directly compare countries).
Where we can compare
It is clear then, that any comparisons of homelessness levels across countries is very difficult.
The Housing Department provided TheJournal.ie with links to homeless figures across different countries, but the same issues apply with not being able to compare like with like. Countries like the USA and France, for example, both have high rates of homelessness when compared to Ireland. But in the absence of a standardised method for measuring, it is difficult to directly compare.
(You can view a brief analysis of the figures provided here)
A recent presentation does give us some basis of comparing Ireland with countries of a similar population using similar definitions of homelessness.
A presentation by Trinity College Dublin professor Eoin O’Sullivan looked at homelessness in Ireland as compared to Finland, Denmark and Sweden.
The presentation measured homelessness as defined by Ireland (so excluding living with friends, on couches, for example) and compared it directly with like for like figures from the three other countries.
It found that Ireland has significantly higher number of homeless people when compared to Norway and Finland as well as more than Denmark.
The verdict
It is clear from the above data that any measure of homelessness across different countries brings up a whole host of problems. Across the EU and OECD there is simply not enough comparable data to make any claim around how Ireland’s homelessness numbers measure up internationally.
For that reason, we rate this claim UNPROVEN. As per our verdict guide, this means: The evidence available is insufficient to support or refute the claim, but it is logically possible.
TheJournal.ie’s FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles. You can read it here. For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader’s Guide here. You can read about the team of editors and reporters who work on the factchecks here.
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“Ming-endorsed turfcutter”.. Gotta love Irish politics.
SF candidate lives in constituency but will not after next election. Turf contractor does not but will next time.
By all a/c he is the intellectual driving force behind Ming. He was described as an oracle although it’s possible Ming misspoke.
Know him well, many people have totally underestimated Michael Fitzmaurice. Many people also underestimated Luke Ming……look where he is. Suits in the Dáil don’t like anyone straight talking or honest….neither do their cronies. That man is worth to us more than the lot of them put together. He won’t play ball, he’ll stick it to them and be a thorn in the side and won’t miss a beat. Good luck to him.
Martina, as long as one of those FF/FG/LAB types doesn’t get in, it’ll be alright. The ones that sold us out, and those that acquiesced.
Jeez…how many times can you spell Sinn Féin wrong? Incorrectly spelled three times out of the first four mentions… I don’t like the party, but come on!!!
And that, Brian, is why your single :-P
Party on Brian, Party on Niall.
Surely this ‘Burton bounce’ rubbish must be over by now?
Never realised that Enda was so small!
small in different ways… the least objectionable is his physical stature
If Mr. Kenny is elected I’m sure he will be looking forward to taxpayer funded Irish classes and business class fund raising trips to Australia.
The Shinners. Not quite whiter than thou.
Been reading the indo again Alan? They never stop scratching.
Jamie
Did she or did she not spend thousands of Euro flying First Class to Australia and back? Even Government Ministers have flown economy over long distance flights and Mary Lou of Sinn Fein is up the front! Wow have we lost the run of ourselves?
It wasn’t in the Indo that I saw it. And even if it was I note that she hasn’t been on denying that using her fake Dublin whine.
It’s all beginning to slip away from them really.
Richard what is the issue if the tax payer did not pay ? like when your lot take off on junkets all the time
u wish Alan…
Mary Lou is from Dublin……what exact issue is there that Mary Lou went to OZ ? Is it because your lot in FFFG want to forget about our emigrants…
It was not a tax payer funded trip unlike the traditional Saint Patricks day junkets
While you are at it why do you seem to be anti the Irish language so much
Richard she flew business class, big swing of the mickey.
In reality 10k isn’t that much on flights between two people Francis brolly was with her so that’s 5k on a trip to Australlia flying to Sydney from Dublin then the connections all around Australlia. It would be run up very quick. Might do some good to dig a little deeper rather than reading sensationalist headlines.
especially when the tax payer is not funding it
It’s just one person’s dole for a year.
I can see your point but then shouls she not go ?
Independent all the way if I was living there after finding out those candidates.
Political Parties … just private clubs passing Pro-Lobby Laws not Pro-Citizen …. Bring your Brains to the Polling Booths.
i hope the people of letrim and roscommon give the main parties a kicking,they deserve it.they have lied to all these people since they got in.where is all the investment, none i can see.remember people they will promise u the sun, moon , and stars to get ur vote.ps these people are part time politicians,it is not a full time job.
I think an analysis of the recent local elections in the area is very important when predicting the outcome of this election. Held only three months ago, they give us a good picture of how the constituency will vote next month.
The boundary for the locals differs slightly to that for the general election. County Roscommon is comprised of three local electoral areas – Athlone, Boyle and Roscommon. County Leitrim is more difficult since only the southern half of the county has a vote in the upcoming by-election. I’ve included the LEAs of Carrick-on-Shannon and Ballinamore in my analysis however it should be noted that part of these LEAs will not have a vote.
Fianna Fáil – The article is accurate when it suggests that the party’s candidate Ivan Connaghton has a good chance at winning. The party’s vote in the local elections was just under 34% and if it were to be repeated on polling day, Connaghton would likely have the largest number of first preference votes however transfers are another question entirely.
Fine Gael – The assumption that Maura Hopkins will be eliminated and that her transfers may determine the election are far from certain. The party polled at nearly 24% in the locals making her elimination unlikely were she to gather the same votes. Fine Gael’s vote hit an all-time low in the locals however no poll has yet to show them sliding further.
Labour – Of the five LEAs which comprise this constituency, Labour only contested one and their candidate failed to take a seat. This puts their support levels at 1.35% however we can expect Senator John Kelly to fair a little better, somewhere between 3-5% perhaps. In any case his elimination early on in the count will only serve to provide transfers for Fine Gael with some transfers going elsewhere.
Sinn Féin – I’m baffled as to why commentators have Martin Kenny in contention for this seat. SF polled under 12% in the local elections and Mr. Kenny is from Leitrim which only comprises one-fifth of the constituency’s population. You can never underestimate the extent to which people vote along county lines in constituencies like this. Of the three Roscommon LEAs, only one returned a SF councillor in May. With support levels half that of Fine Gael, this article really should read that SF transfers may determine the election. Recent polls have not shown significant rises for SF since May.
Independents – With support levels of 29% at the locals, and with a Ming backed candidate likely to contest, I would predict a good showing for independent candidates in this election however a note of caution for Mr. Fitzmaurice. Having Ming’s support is not the same as being Ming. Unless voters feel the same sense of rebellion they felt with Ming, this candidate may fail to break the mould and may only get lost in the mix of other Independents likely to contest this race. The fact that Fitzmaurice holds a seat in Tuam, Co. Galway may also work against him in a constituency which tends to vote along county lines.
Overall if the locals are to repeat themselves and if county lines are to be followed I would see the contest unfolding as follows:
30% Connaghton, FF
25% Hopkins, FG
18% Fitzmaurice, IND
15% Kenny, SF
3% Kelly, Labour
9% Other candidates
At these number this election is beyond reach for Sinn Féin however they will pick up strong Leitrim support due to their candidate. Fianna Fáil are the ones to beat in this election but transfers will likely put Hopkins or Fitzmaurice ahead on the final count. SF transfers will likely swing to Fitzmaurice however the other independents and Labour may still give FG a chance of adding another young female TD to the Dáil.
A month to go, may the best candidate win and I just hope better information is used in future. The predictions in this article don’t reflect the numbers on the ground.
If you ever had the pleasure of meeting and speaking to Michael Fitzmaurice, you would know he is of the same mould as Ming and will not bow to gombeen politics, says it like it is and has no fear.
Polls since May have not shown a rise in Sinn Fein vote ? I am not so sure that is correct… if FF are so strong then it will be a major blow to them if they do not win
“The Burton Bounce Me Bollocks”
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