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SOME 21% OF new families presenting as homeless in Dublin last year were non-EU citizens, according to a new report.
The Homeless Action Plan by Dublin City Council is due to be discussed by councillors later today.
In 2018, some 92 new families presented as homeless on average for each month, the report noted.
In terms of the new families presenting, some 67% were Irish-born, some 12% were EU citizens and some 21% were non-EU citizens.
“The latter group presents a significant challenge to the [Dublin Region Homeless Executive] in terms of their entitlement to housing and welfare provisions,” the report said.
The report noted that the overall increase in homelessness over the past 30 months has presented “considerable and unprecedented challenges” to the DRHE in terms of responding to these needs.
Homeless emergency accommodation figures for February 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.
Some 22 family hubs were developed between 2017 and 2018. However, the report noted that a lack of significant increase in housing supply has been a barrier to people securing alternative accommodation and moving out of homelessness.
Between March 2016 and March 2018, the scale of homelessness in Dublin has increased from 4,300 adults and children to 6,887 adults and children – an increase of 60%, the report outlined.
Family homelessness has increased from a total of 839 families with 1,723 children to 1,329 families with 2894 children. This is an additional 490 families – an increase of 58%.
The research undertaken by the DRHE on Homeless Families indicates that 48% had lost their private rented accommodation, primarily for notice of terminations being issued by the landlord.
The other significant factor was a change in family circumstances due to overcrowding, a relationship breakdown with a partner or family.
“Families are presenting as homeless due to economic reasons such as unaffordability and the lack of alternate accommodation,” the report said.
The report has also said the council aims to review current systems in place for identified vulnerable groups and their effectiveness in terms of preventing homelessness.
These groups include young people leaving car, prison discharges, former drug users leaving rehabilitation centres and hospital discharges of homeless people.
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The streets of London were once filled with Irish migrants who fell on bad times.
If people fall we should help them back on their feet, regardless of their country of origin.
A disingenuous title.
@Kate Mchugh: If you were behind them in the post office how did you know they had just landed in the country?
@Battaz: close to a third of all homeless are non-nationals. The compassionate thing to do would be to assist their return home.
@Kate Mchugh: 16yrs ago I fell in Birmingham, England.
I was helped by the local council (Sandwell). I will never forget that.
Helping our own first is understandable; but if they’ve already lived & worked here, they are our own.
Adopted children are just as valued as those we procreate ourselves.
@Kate Mchugh: That’s very interesting and informative… Maybe Leo and his team should go down to the local post office to formulate all their policies… Its obviously where real information is gathered….. Oops I forgot today is April 1st!
@RisingSpirit: 21% is less than a quarter, not almost a third.
If they’re here legally we owe them a duty of care. Deport illegals all day long, but I thought it was just the Left who can’t distinguish between legal and illegal migration?
@Kate Mchugh: Complete lies since the card is handed out from the social welfare office, not the post office.
@Kate Mchugh: I’m calling BUL**HIT on that.
@Jerriko17: Whoa there, when they get to “their local post office” they are very likely to find that IT HAS BEEN CLOSED!!
@John Walsh: Illegals cannot claim any state benefit.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: Probably they still had their parachute on them Sean.
@Rochelle: I think she meant ‘giving’ their card, rather than ‘given’ their card.. But she was definitely making assumptions. The very fact they had a card means they were entitled to have it. They don’t just hand out cards at the Airport passport control.
@TheJournal: thanks for removing my comments.
@RisingSpirit: well when you represent 21% as close to a third in an attempt at scaremongering in one of the comments that remain I can only imagine what was in the deleted ones.
@RisingSpirit: That’s what happens when you BS, and turn 21% into “close to a third” to suit your argument.
@David Hickey: re-read the article 21% of new homeless i.e. made homeless this year. This is of course, different from total figures. But hey don’t let facts get in the way of wordplay.
@RisingSpirit: No. learn to read (and do maths). 21% is close to 1/5th. 33.3% would be a 1/3rd. And the article states this is new cases presenting last year, not a percentage of the total homeless figure. But then you were not really interested in the overall facts but rather in the one fact that some of our unfortunate homeless people are not native Irish or EU citizens. Interesting that the author focused on this particular aspect of the Homeless Report too as a headline.
@Battaz: 21% non EU, so how many are Irish then.
The real scandal is lack of house purchase opportunities for regular working young people. These are the ones who pay for social housing, refugee centres, all the rest & yet are increasingly left at the mercy of corporate landlords
@RisingSpirit: or send them home why come to a country and not have a pot to piss in
Shouldn’t the definition of our Irish homelessness statistics be one that’s only based on people who were already living in homes here but unfortunately lost their homes while already living here?
Surely It’s not fair to include anyone who simply just arrive in the country who hadn’t a home here to begin with because obviously, they didn’t even live here to begin with.
It’s April fools day… But unfortunately John Delaney and varadkar are year round jokes! #delaneyvaradkar out!
@Shane Murphy: Delanney out will do.
Wow, what a coincidence that days after FFG miss their targets (and let’s be honest the homelessness figure has been over 10,000 for quite some time, it’s just gotten so bad that the numbers can’t be fudged anymore) a report comes out hilighting that 21% of new homeless are not EU citizens.
What a nasty, cheap trick designed for no other reason than to divide and conquer, instead of blaming a greedy, corrupt government who are IDEOLOGICALLY opposed to building social housing and are purposefully artificially inflating the price of houses to balance their books we will have countless people spending their time pissing on people on welfare whilst FFG continue to facilitate the vulture funds, multinationals, EU, banks and legal system to continue robbing us blind.
@Sarah: If I arrive in for example Australia,America,South Africa, Turkey or wherever without accommodation should I present myself as homeless to the Government authorities?
Should they be obliged to add me to their statistics as such?
I don’t believe they should do you?
Not in Australia you cannot :
@Anorack Jack: nope, they will put you on the next plane back to where you came from, because you have a return ticket otherwise you wont get in.
@Sarah:
Report published by Dublin City Council, not the Gov.
Biggest party in DCC is SF.
“Cheap and nasty” are your words.
I’d agree but think your target is wrong.
@Sarah: this has been the casename for a long time that non irish are arriving here expecting to be housed for little or nothing. In UK you must be living there theeonths to be allowed on the housing list that applies to EU citizens , non eu are considered illegals. It is ridiculous to say you can arrive here from another country and be housed for free. How do they get here in first instance, by housing people we are providing a business model for traffickers, why else do they come. We had a referendum ten years ago declaring that you could not just arrive here pregnant and the child would automatically become a citizen, guess what ,, the trafficking stoped overnight. Dont be so naive to think people arrive here randomly, its organised.
Seriously! And who’s letting all these non EU citizens into the country?!
@Adrian:
The Irish people?
Under our current laws and constitution?
If you want to change this, stand for election.
Maybe you and your new party could wear matching blue shirts?
@Brinster: there are enough blue shirts wrecking the country already.
2 year ago I was homeless, never asked anyone for anything, I was sleeping a my car. I did ask for was HAP but I never used it, nobody even replied to you, but when I was in parkgate street applying for HAP I seen this lad, 20s, he was African and I could help but notice him, dirty clothes with a beard etc, almost like too homeless but I thought nothing of it. next day I seen him again… Gucci tracksuit, runners so white he must of bought them that day, expensive looking runners. Moral of the story is we complain in this country that we get given nothing but these non-eu’s just know how to work the system. I got myself a job and I am now private rent a room, new car and food on the table and I never asked for anything of nobody. This is all true, every single word of it
@Pixie McMullen: That is the attitude that led – in part – to the Rotherham scandal. Hiding reality from the public only causes worse repercussions down the line, and contributes to a situation in which people are forced to triangulate between dubious internet rumour and what they read in mainstream media. False news makes fake news.
@Gerry Quinn: True, but what i am more concerned about is the fact that the authorities let all these non Europeans into the country in the first place – not the gen pop – and NOW the very same authorities are pointing the finger at who THEY let in , basically saying “look at all of them needing a free house and benefits”
They caused the mess that they are now pointing the finger at and apportioning part of the homeless crisis as being THEIR fault.
something not right about it all
FG are playing Nasty Nasty politics, to hide the absolute shambles they have made of the place.
Click bait
@SFNutters: Because they don’t want to stay in a hostel where violence and drug abuse are prevalent.
@SFNutters: People in shelters are sleeping with their valuables inside their shoe, and the shoe is under their pillow because of what they are sharing with – a tent is safer for a lot of people, especially when there a few tents of like minded souls together as protection –
You don`t go on about people camping, but yet they stay in tents??
@SFNutters: Not true. There’s a ton of reasons some homeless are in tents.
Some hostels are very dangerous. I grew up near the Iveagh Hostel. The men there slept with one eye open.
This country’s greatest shame, and we have a few, is not “Cherishing all the children of the nation, equally”. Few are in tents for the craic!
@Battaz: your talking a load of Bolox about the Iveagh Hostel , years ago all the men who used to use it had a separate lockable cubicle to sleep in and were glad to get a cheap place to sleep for the night , now its all changed with all mod cons ,your own room etc, its €140 PW for full board and there`s a waiting list to get in there..
No use in complaining about this, the Irish people have spoken. FF FG had a “significant” bounce in the opinion polls last week. I am not advocating any political party but surely voting in the cause and catalyst AGAIN is certifyibly insane.
@Frank Mullen:
I’m alright jack
We need to deport anyone is in this country who is here illegally. Our services are already at creaking point for people here legally.
@John Walsh: Do you really think that anyone who is in Ireland illegally would voluntarily present themselves to a government agency asking for assistance?
That article doesn’t say the 21% are illegal or newly arrived. Just that they are non EU. I’m sure plenty are but it is possible for a non EU to have been working and living in a home and had a change of circumstances just like anyone else.
@Bee Johnson:
They they should go back to their Homeland.. (its not called a working visa for nothing)
What percentage of DUBLIN’S homeless is caused by drug use ?
And ur point is Miss Halpin ??????
@Anne o’Leary: Don`t shoot the messenger – She only reports on what is released
@Pixie McMullen: Too true Pixie…unfortunately this country is too busy trying to divide us and demonise others so they can profit from the misery and the confusion.
So 89% of houses were given to Irish citizens then….
@John Kennedy: Every taxpayer needs a PPS number. And how is it any of your business what the holders of PPS numbers are doing, or where they are living ?
@Tommy Roche: Calm down, my comment has been deleted, my point is that the 123,039 foreign nationals who had PPS numbers issued to them in 2018 came to Ireland for some reason, to work, to find work, to study etc., they have to be living somewhere, an apartment, a house, accomodation of some sort, where exactly they are living I couldn’t care less, they were able to find accomodation somewhere, did we as a country plan for any of this?, of course we diidn’t, we can’t plan for anything and we wonder why we have a housing crises.
@Brinster: Are Sinn Féin in control of who gets let in to the country? How is this their fault? Fine Gael are the ones in power for the last 8/years and haven’t built the houses they promised, they are the ones who are responsible , give blame where it is due, and stop passing the buck, the “Fine Gael way”,
Have the decency to own your own mess, tell them to stop pointing fingers and blaming the immigrants THEY are ultimately for
Why on earth is this statistic even relevant in the public domain. Inflammatory journalism
@Pixie McMullen:
Sinn Fein is in control; of Dublin City Council, not Fine Gael.
They have the highest number of councillors, they’ve controlled who the Mayor is, they have blocked developments.
You’re blaming the wrong party here – i fully agree this is nasty and inflammatory but the party responsible is SF.
@Pixie McMullen: ultimately responsible for
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