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LAST UPDATE | 27 Mar 2019
HOUSING MINISTER EOGHAN Murphy has been heavily criticised after figures for February show that there are now more than 10,000 people in Ireland officially living in emergency accommodation.
The homeless emergency accommodation figures show that there are now a combined total of 10,264 people homeless and living in emergency accommodation in Ireland, a significant rise of 277 people from January.
The numbers taken over the course of one week in February show that there were 6,480 adults and 3,784 homeless children living in emergency accommodation in the State.
This is an increase of 117 adults and 160 children living in emergency accommodation.
The number of homeless families living in emergency accommodation rose by 93 last month.
The overall increase brings the combined total to 10,264, breaking the symbolic figure of 10,000 people.
Commenting on the figures, Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy said the increase in the figures is “hugely disappointing”.
“I am in constant contact with local authorities and am working with them to help move families out of emergency accommodation and into sustainable housing solutions,” Murphy said.
“As well as the increased supply of social housing, HAP will continue to play a vital role in providing families with a place to live until supply catches up. We will continue to work with families to demonstrate the benefits of this scheme over emergency accommodation.”
‘Shameful and saddening’
The government has come in for criticism from non-governmental organisations and opposition figures for the latest rise in homeless numbers.
Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin TD has heavily criticised Murphy over February’s figures.
“These figures while not a surprise are deeply shocking,” Ó Broin told TheJournal.ie.
Leo Varadkar and Eoghan Murphy can no longer claim that Rebuilding Ireland is working.
“It is completely failing and they need to accept defeat and work with the opposition to put in place a different plan,” he said.
Rebuilding Ireland is the government’s housing action plan.
Ó Broin’s comments were echoed by Labour housing spokesperson Jan O’Sullivan TD who has said the figures are “just another reminder of how unfit for purpose Rebuilding Ireland has become”.
“The last two months have shown that the Government is not on top of this, and the problem is getting worse,” O’Sullivan said.
There appears to be no end in sight, and three years into this government the volume of social housing that is needed has not been delivered, nor is there any sign of it coming.
Anthony Flynn – CEO of Inner City Helping Homeless – has also slammed Murphy over the latest figures.
“Month on month we are seeing more and more families and children become homeless. 160 children becoming homeless in a single month is a result of complete systemic failure on the government and Minister Murphy’s part,” Flynn said.
He said that a “full reevaluation” of homeless services is required.
“Government policy has and is failing and now is the time for the Minister to consider and the Taoiseach to intervene in this crisis.”
Fianna Fáil’s housing spokesperson Darragh O’Brien called today’s figures “a shameful and saddening example of failed Government policy”.
There have been flashy launches with hard hats and photo opportunities however the facts speak for themselves. Not enough is being done to bring homeless numbers down.
He said Eoghan Murphy should be doing his best to bring these figures down, not “commenting on them to express his disappointment when they are announced”.
“These new figures won’t give any hope to the 10,264, comprising of families and children, who are living in homelessness tonight,” O’Brien said.
Solidarity TD and Oireachtas Housing Committee member Mick Barry has suggested that the Raise The Roof National housing demonstration on 18 May to be built into a massive anti-Government protest.
“No Government which allows homelessness to go over the 10,000 mark deserves to remain in power,” Barry said, adding that Fine Gael needs “to be given a hammering at the ballot box in May”.
With reporting from Adam Daly
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And a guy gets a €3,000 a month rent allowance on top of his 6 figure salary
@Brianyrio2: And who owned the house he was renting I wonder .
@Padraic O Sullivan: Grainne Seoighe owns the house
@Brianyrio2: Gordon Taylor got £2.2 million per year from the English fa, John Delaney only got 360K and his rent paid, of course it would be expenses paid Job, that’s the money in the football world I’m afraid
@Alan Brazil: Yeah Epl get billions in tv money and never mind the franchising. It’s also a infinitely bigger organisation with hundreds of league clubs. And a population of 70+ million. Irish football is no where near that. Brutal comparison. I think the winning team of our premier league only gets 100,000 or so.
@Brianyrio2: how has that any relevance?
@andyearley: he actually reduced the prize pot to accommodate his salary -
And clubs are still looking for that each year as it’s kept back
@RO’S: Anything that tries to reset the comments to another agenda but the one in the article is what the comment is all about.
@andyearley: Well yes I agree with you, But at the same time if he was getting a hundred grand per year people would still complain, Trumps wall they say will cost 2.5 billion, National children’s hospital in Ireland is at 1.7 billion already, That’s Ireland for you.
@Alan Brazil: Trumps wall 2.5 Billion? – he`s looking for over 5 Billion just to start it, final estimates are 10 times what you say, an internal report by the Department of Homeland Security estimated the cost of the wall to be much higher at about $21.6 billion, and even that could be an underestimation, according to the Brookings Institution
@Pixie McMullen: Going to come down off my bar stool now and head home.
@Alan Brazil: LOL
@Jake: lol
@Alan Brazil: I understand your malaise with things. It’s true too. But f them and the horse the rode in o @ and start changing things with compelling arguments on the journal. It’s the little things baby. X
#KeepTheRecoveryGoing right!?! (For the vulture funds)
@Nigel o’Neill: only the tip of the iceberg, working conditions in most jobs are been ebbed away, add increased automation of jobs,
@Nigel o’Neill: we really cannot afford to have these idiots in gov for much longer.
Hard to believe this when the unemployment rate is 5.2% ( 1.2% over technical full employment). Why can’t people house themselves in a period where the Irish nation is relying on inwards emigration to supply labour? Since the dawn of mankind men and woman have provided shelter for themselves and their children.
Where are the working immigrants living ? Have we overdone the Irish welfare state ?
@ObsidianShine: what’s wrong with living far out and commuting, and then working your way up to better working and living conditions? I commuted for years, studied at night, and now have a decent job and live in a (small) place close to work. I was on the dole for a year 15 years ago so it can be done. I’m no genius so if I can do it… there are however a lot of people In emergency accommodation with substance and mental health issues, and they need to be helped. But I don’t accept wage inflation (or lack of) as an excuse – sorry. There are plenty of resources for people with the determination to improve themselves. And there are plenty of newly arrived people with no family or state support who can find work and accommodation. It’s not great work or accommodation-but for many it’s temp.
@Tony Shaw: There is a myth that all homeless and poor are on welfare…. Those at the bottom of the work force are worse off but its ignored, especially by FG…
@Tony Shaw: Currently, a mortgage typically requires a household income of €60,000 or more a year, below this you have to rent and rent market is artificially inflated by HAP (by €750 million per year) and the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS), which worsens the housing crisis. These payments are made to 270,000 households (likely involving over half a million people).
The government is encouraging construction companies to increase the supply of new homes, as part of €6 billion Rebuilding Ireland plan. However, while the number of new homes built per year has increased, the supply of affordable homes has not increased. Construction companies are interests in profit, especially after years of recession. They have no interest in setting aside a portion of their new development for cheap social homes (over in the UK, for example, construction companies are requited to build a certain % of social home and flats as part of new developments – these are typically smaller units using using cheaper materials i.e. more affordable, nothing like that is happening here).
The government reliance of the free market is an abject failure. In lieu of a shortfall in newly built affordable homes suitable for social housing, money from Rebuilding Ireland is being diverted to HAP, artificially inflating the figures and progress. A continuation of this system will .likely see us towards a European mode, with higher levels of renting and lower levels of home ownership.
Housing crisis was further exacerbated by a wider government policy, from 2010 onward, that encouraged the entry of global investors and vulture funds into Ireland in order to offload toxic loans from NAMA and the banks. This resulted in rising house prices and rents, particularly post 2013. Such vulture funds are also more likely to act aggressively and repossess homes rather then work with home owners. The arrival of vulture funds has also caused land prices to steeply increase which has a knock on effect on house prices.
Local authorities can hardly afford to build social homes and they can’t usually afford to buy newly built homes to add to their social homes stock, they were effectively discouraged by the government from building or acquiring social homes for the last 2 decades. Nine local authorities built or acquired 20 or fewer social homes in 2018. Across Ireland in 2018, only 400 new social homes were built by local authorities.
You can red the rest here:
@Tony Shaw: since the dawn of time people have housed themselves yes but in what? caves, trees, shacks etc ! In modern history ordinary folk relied on someone richer to provide the house that they would slave and go hungry to pay rent for just to be thrown out at any time. Take a look at what houses poor people provide for themselves in other less progressed or non welfare countries. Shanty towns. Poor sanitary conditions, no running water. Dangerous or non existent electric supply. Is that what you want to resort/return us to? No we havn’t overdone the welfare state.
@Floodzie: Wow, what a condescending comment completely dismissing a lot of the economic barriers to home ownership even for the – rapidly eroding- middle classes, barriers that did not exist 15 years ago. But no, it’s everyone *else’s* fault, this victim blaming bullshit is precisely why the country is in this mess, we’re too busy pissing on the most vulnerable people in society to while the super rich and the multinationals get richer…
@Tony Shaw: have u got your head up to where the sun dont shine people in work cannot afford to buy or rent their accomidation because of the vulture fund landlords when they buy property at knock down prices from the toxic bank they then put the property back on the market and charge treble rental charges.
@Sarah: it’s not condescending at all. it laid out clear facts regarding employment, income and the move towards state dependence that was usually reserved for those on the periphery. he never once mentioned home ownership, nevermind barriers (focus on self supporting family units being able to house themselves). the rent v income had remained static, and it is a genuine question how a 2 income (either salaried or social) family units declare as homeless as a mechanism for short term housing.
@Sarah: hi Sarah, please reread my comment
@Tony Shaw: Unemployment figures are HEAVILY massaged by application of such criteria as to not include citizens on certain schemes which in fact don’t delivery any real income. Job path and Seetec are parasitic, disaster capitalist beneficiaries of FFG’s neoliberal economics.
They are forgetting all the young adults living with family because they cant afford to move out, they are technically homeless too so the number well surpasses 30k
@Karl Charlie: How are they technically homeless? WTF? They’re living in the family home, adult or not. They are not homeless.
@Karl Charlie: that’s what makes up a lot of the 10k but that’s not what people want to hear
@Karl Charlie: how are people living with family homeless ? I’m a young family renting huge rent and can be thrown
Out at anytime. Am I homeless too ? Wish we had family to live with, at least that way we wouldn’t be at a risk of being turfed out by a landlord leaving us homeless as in not having anywhere to live. Just because it’s not their home it doesn’t equate to homelessness just like renting from a stranger ( as opposed to paying rent in your parents house ) doesn’t equal to being homeless.
@Karl Charlie: good point
@5hbeZh0I: they’re not counted officially. They have somewhere to live. Point it that they can nowhere near afford a place of their own. It’s a disgrace.
@Lauren Anna: yes. if you are receiving state assistance for rent, or applying for assistance while staying with relatives, you are homeless and in these statistics. they are covered in the state definition “he cannot provide accommodation from his own resources.” The use of he was deliberate, as it mainly included bedsit men, but now it includes more families as it is a requirement to expedite a dedicated hosting unit.
@Ian Breathnach: so u think its acceptable for people in their 30s with kids to still be dependant on their parents for a bed to sleep in becuase they cant afford rent or get a mortgage? So your saying people in hotels and shelters are not homeless because they are living in a hotel or living in a shelter.
@Ian Breathnach: asking 1500 a month for apartments, I can live in NYC for same apt 450 dollars a month greedy Irish
Ah yeah , but Brexit…
But wait for them excuses including brexit
Does that count the gypsies who beg n claim be homeless but get picked up n brought home
Or the ones on streets with addictions but if got house would sell everything in it for a fix
Or the single mothers in hotels who claim homeless but there man renting there room to a foreign student for extra money
@Alan Carthy: are you familiar with ‘punching down’?
@Jessie Ginger: he is certainly proficient in it.
@Jessie Ginger: no
How could we build thousands and thousands of social housing from the 30,s right through to the 60,s, even through a world war and we cannot build any now. Every part of Dublin has vast housing estates of social housing as does every county. What has happened?. Was it all handed over to greedy builders and speculaters? or just years and years of bad government.
@John Cassin: Government policy!From 2011-2016 total housing stock (all housing stock) increased by just 0.4%.During that time homelessness increased by 81%.Policies have consequences!
@John Cassin: have we not forgotten what happened in these social housing conclaves… Ballymun flats, Oliver Bond flats, croke villas, o devaney flats,Joseph’s flats, Drumalee flats, Fatima Donycarney, Tallaght, Clondalkin and Crumlin among many others. Crime, drugs, alcohol, murder and gangland killings in the past and present!
@Nuala Mc Namara: private building will match demand by 2020. should we get ready for blaming the government for oversupply and investor repossessions of rented accommodation yet?
@Sinead Merrigan: I work for dcc in housing maintenance and every block of flats I work in there is at least 3 empty flats and if I go back there 2 months later them flats are still empty even though they are ready to move into or they haven’t been touched just boarded up and forgotten about
@John Cassin: vultures need to be looked after in ensuring they get good returns on their investment so government building houses would seriously impact on returns,vultures buy on the condition government wont build social housing..
@Renton Burke: No it won’t!The housing stock isn’t anywhere near ADEQUATE housing stock levels and genuine social housing stock and AFFORDABLE housing stock is woefully INADEQUATE!
Ireland was recently criticized by UN re vulture funds,did you not hear that?
Ireland ‘official’ homelessness figures excludes vast majority of ETHOS Catergories of homeless which is shameful,if all Catergories used there would be a zero at least added to homeless figures!
@Charlie: I volunteer with the Dublin regional homeless executive for the homeless count twice a year as well as well as volunteering with inner city youth and other programs. Its down to dcc to house people in those vacant apartments particurly as its under their remit through social housing.
These areas are dangerous, run and influenced by criminal gangs and the drugs and violence they bring and are veritable no go areas for gardai making it harder to crack down on both organised and disorganised crime. The huge issue with social housing is that once a person actually gets one it is very much the end of the story and the problem is solved but this is incredibly far from the truth.
@Charlie: A systematic support system needs to be put in place to help with basics such as budgeting and running a home to education to employment as well as comprehensive mental health support and drug and alcohol support. This needs to be put in place for at least 2 years ongoing with follow up there after once solidly on one’s feet. By breaking the cycle future generations have a hope of living a life of opportunity free from the chains of poverty and the trappings of crime. Idyllic and utopian it may sound but not impossible…
A fantastic solution to this problem would be to let more immigrants enter the country by their thousands. This will ensure that Ireland and her people will all be adequately housed and will sort out the increasing crime rate around the Greater Dublin Area.
Would the Irish government not ideally, bring forward this issue to the EU instead in a bid to tackle first, the issue of homelessness on our own soil, rather than the mass immigration caused directly by the actions of NATO and US in the Middle East…?
@Dean O’Rourke: ah yes blame the immigrants. You realize there’s enough to go around right? We can afford it. The cash is channeled elsewhere. Wake up.
@Jessie Ginger: the irony of you telling me to wake up as you sit there and swallow everything that’s fed to you. I think you are the one who needs to wake up. Everything isn’t as rosy as it seems. Christ, some parts of Dublin are like ghettos these days.
I don’t know why you presume my blame lies with immigrants, I clearly outlined in my comment who I think are responsible for the immigration problem across Europe but you don’t want to talk about that do you?
A small price to pay for unlimited social housing/services for the people who play the game. I don’t blame them it’s the system that’s wrong.
@Ron: I blame them
Well done FineGael you really helped out the little guy there, vulture funds and non tax paying corporations are in good shape so that’s an achievement of sorts.
This is about to increase as the vulture funds start to ramp up pressure under a final big push to maximise their return before they check out of here
And here is yet another example as to why? Massive debt write offs for the wealthy and connected. The gutter for anyone else. The politics of the unelected varuka varadkar
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/financial-services/longford-receptionist-has-3m-debt-written-off-for-1-600-payment-1.3840106?mode=amp
Be interesting to understand that 10,000 number more, particularly the increase in February. How many people had to claim homelessness in the last year? How many people have been housed? If 5000 people claim homeless and we house 4,000 we have a shortfall of 1,000 (as example). If there is constantly more people becoming homeless we will never actually solve this.
@Kevin O’Donnell: declaring yourself homeless gets you priority on the social housing ladder. Therefore the homeless numbers won’t fall by much, no matter how many houses you build.
The people who are really homeless, i.e who don’t have a roof over their heads, number a couple of hundred, but many of these refuse accommodation because of personal issues.
The rate of housebuilding has been ramping up to meet demand, but you can’t turn a problem like that around overnight. However the nonsense that is spouted by the looney fringe about thousands of children sleeping on the streets is just that, nonsense.
Keep the recovery going.
All the build to rents going up on land that was for housing and apartment ownership …they must be making hand over fist same boys from the last crash with a new cunning plan …tax the f out anybody with more the three properties.
Loads of comments deleted on this story. Wonder why?
@Shakka1244: spot on, 2 of mine gone
@Shakka1244: Some good, serious hard hitting comments gone missing.
Does anyone think Ires REIT buying 118 properties direct from the developer and renting them out is a good thing?
https://www.irishtimes.com/business/glenveagh-to-sell-118-properties-to-ires-reit-for-38m-1.3837645
@Sean: Well, since IRES REIT will be buying these to make a profit on them by renting them out, probably not.
On the other hand, if they are let out as sharing, with 8 persons per house, that might relieve some pressure on the Rental Market.
But then again, REITS pay low tax on rental income, don’t they? So not good, really.
Remember, we can start changing things in May by getting rid of FF and FG at the local and EU level!
@Keith O’Reilly: fair enough keith but there is no alternative!
@tooler doogan: there is
@Jessie Ginger: yes, Sinn Fein will provide a network of safe houses. Although you might get raped in some of them.
@tooler doogan: I’m sick of this line. There are plenty of alternatives!
@Keith O’Reilly: please do tell?
@John Mulligan: Sinn Fein don’t do Government. They are just hurlers on the ditch.
Great lads… now keep the recovery going.
He should stand down..SHAMEFULL PERFORMANCE
It is a direct result of DCC housing allocation policy. At the end of May 2018 they declared that they don’t prioritize the homeless anymore. But in reality started to give them more than before that false announcement and by doing so they deliberately make people from bands 2 and 3 homeless. DCC housing allocations report January 2019 states that Homeless Priority category prior to March was getting 11 houses in March, 16 in April.. But in September – 22, Oct -33, Nov – 23, December – 74 hoses accordingly! While people from the waiting list in bunds 2 and 3 got for example in December just 26 – for band 2 and only 11 for band 3!
It is no waiting list anymore. The only thing people are waiting is when they will be made homeless because most allocations going towards Homeless Priority despite all loud false announcements.
You know what you are voting for. Don’t pretend that you don’t. The people who destroyed this Country are all living well and the victims of their fraud needlessly suffer. If only these homeless people would get up earlier in the morning.
resignations??
Eoghan Murphy
Owen Keegan
Brendan Kenny
all have to go
@Cormac McKay Dublin: what about Leo?
Remove all rental assistance and let market conditions prevail surely this will correct the rental issues over a period of time. Except for thoses with disabilities and i dont mean dependancies.
@Robert Deane: so what happens to the homeless figures over that “period of time”?
@Robert Deane: omg stoppit
Keep the boarders open all are welcome Where’s all the do gooders opening there homes to all the refugees and homeless ?
Run every landlord out of the business and wonder why there are no houses to rent..?
@Johnny Farrell: stop giving landlord taxpayer money to keep people in their houses, fare rent
Build up not out, move homeless people out of the big cities to more rural towns and villages where there are houses and space to live. I had to move a long way away from home and Dublin in order to afford a house, why shouldn’t they?
@Ros Aodha: but why should you have to move you should be able to buy near family and friends, what wrong is that the price of housing is day light robbery anywhere else in the world see what you get for your money, Greedy Irish, want to buy for nothing and get tenants pay the mortgage, We don’t know how to be proper landlords
At least in gladiator the leader was killed for his beliefs. Leo you should watch that movie I believe there’s quite a few things you could learn from the romans. Private and public that is. I believe there’s even vultures too. At least the romans gave there people housing before everyone else. Politics in Ireland is screaming out for a new party who will put the Irishman and women first for a change.
To all who are concerned, moan ,whinge on here and to those with some great ideas and solutions, What are you going to do about it?
@tooler doogan: well usually what’s done is there voted out. That was tried with fgael losing 50% of there vote share but somehow still cling to power. Now we have the unelected varuka varadkar who couldn’t even get 50% of his own party to support poncing around like lord Fontelroy. With our democracy clearly corrupted what would you suggest?
@Brian Conway: french style protests and i dont mean wrecking the place, just consistent protests until they pull back on whatever peoples quams are, they wouldnt know what hit them, but it wont happen so moan on!
@tooler doogan: I agree. That’s what’s needed. Everyone down tools out on the streets. You’re moaning st wrong person tool
@Brian Conway: good man yourself!
Meanwhile in other news:
“UN says Ireland applies ‘preferential tax laws’ to vultures funds”
The recovery is not for everyone, only for the elite and their cronies. This is not happening by accident, Fine Gael are doing this on purpose.
….
The landlord want as much money as they can screw out of the people and the taxpayers with rent allowances for some. History is repeating itself, fare rent , remember that from your days at school, if FF brought in. Number 1 a cap on rent , and on house prices, most people could afford to get a mortgage and buy a home and they would walk the next election, How can anyone get 400.000 for a house who earn that kind of money, again only the rich, let’s take to the streets and let’s be heard, ah but again the Irish will not stand together, only put each other down
Awful
People are being sold out by this corrupt varuka varadkar.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/tenants-facing-mass-eviction-from-cork-apartments-saved-from-homelessness-914075.html
Irish government should be ashamed of themselves hope everyone remembers when they come knocking on doors at election time
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