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THE NUMBER OF people who are homeless in Ireland has increased to over 10,500 for the first time.
The Department of Housing released homeless figures for October, indicating that there were 10,514 individuals homeless. That’s an increase of 117 on September’s figures, which Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy said “was expected following the introduction of new emergency beds in the Dublin region recently”.
There was a decrease of 23 families and 47 children in emergency accommodation.
The Simon Communities said that there’s been an overall increase of 8.1% since October 2018, when the figure was 9,724.
Wayne Stanley, national spokesperson for the Simon Communities, said that the government must take action to ensure that the thousands facing into Christmas in homelessness and those living with housing insecurity “are given hope”:
There is a need for a clear commitment, backed up by action, that the upwards trend in homelessness will not continue in 2020.
A motion of no confidence in Eoghan Murphy as Housing Minister has been tabled by the Social Democrats, and is being voted on tonight at around 10.30pm.
Focus Ireland has called on the 4 new TDs in the by-elections to make ending the housing crisis a key priority on entering the Dáil.
Focus Ireland CEO Pat Dennigan: “There’s now over 10,500 people homeless and it is heart breaking to see nearly 4,000 of these are children. Many of these families had their own home last year and will now be spending Christmas with their children stuck in a cramped hotel room or other emergency accommodation.”
The Official Winter Rough Sleeper Count was also published today – it represents a 41% decrease on the 2018 figure – a total of 92 people are confirmed as rough sleeping across the Dublin region in Winter 2019 compared to 152 in 2018.
The count was carried out on the night of 26 November into the morning of 27 November.
Peter McVerry Trust, the national housing and homeless charity, welcomed “a marked decline” in the number of people sleeping rough in the city.
“We are encouraged to see such a significant drop in the official number of people sleeping rough,” Pat Doyle, the CEO of the Peter McVerry Trust said.
“A 41% decline on last year’s count is a hugely positive outcome and a welcome reduction at a time of huge challenges for people impacted by homelessness.”
The charity said that the drop is “closely linked” to an increase in resources provided by the DRHE in the form of additional emergency beds, intensified street outreach work by Peter McVerry Trust and Dublin Simon.
An increase in Housing First targets for Dublin has also resulted in more homes secured for people who were sleeping rough across the city, it added.
Political criticism
Fianna Fáil spokesperson on Housing, Planning and Local Government Darragh O’Brien has criticised the government off the back of these figures:
“This is a shocking indictment of the government, they continue to fail in one of the most basic needs for our people, a safe and secure home. Rebuilding Ireland has failed, what we need to see is this crisis being met by crisis measures and currently it’s not.”
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Banks will excited to reclaim properties and boost profits
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@Thesaltyurchin: what percentage of default mortgages resulted in possession orders in the financial crash?
@Paul Fahey: huge and sadly many people lost a lot and took their own lives because the actions of FG and the banks.
so banks and fffg teaming up to scare the voters , more than likely thousands of young Paddy’s will emigrate even more , no stop in purchase and building of ipas centers, in Canada they have a plan A B C , we need an election rapidly and oust these con artists
@jn: We had an election just 4 months ago, did you forget?
@jn: Lefties are famous for their macroeconomic prowess.
@jn: Have you just woken from a coma,we had that election late last year.
@jn: CLOWN.
@jn: ye Far Right angry scrotes still wouldn’t get a seat lol the majority voted against your mind virus
@jn: they don’t have a plan.
they won’t call an election unless they are forced to.
their only motto is to look after themselves and their friends.
cause that how they get rich… and with zero accountability.
the one to blame : the voters
No skit sherlock, who couldn’t have predicted this? I have no beef with our foreign investment set up, in my eyes it has given people good high quality employment and paid them well, but the country is running as if we are a rich nation. We’ll see how good our politicians are in a year or two when we are still feeding and housing all and sundry that continue to rock up. Time to take care of working classes and tax payers, and tighten up on benefits scroungers now, not when the gates have been trodden over and the horse has raced out. The time has come.
Another temp tax coming like the USC. I wonder if they will call it the Trump tax. Only temporary, until Trump gone or maybe 50 years after that!.
@did you every wonder: income taxes were introduced on a temporary basis to fund the napoleonic wars and I, for one, have total confidence that they’ll be abolished the moment the French midget is dealt with.
Well deserved for the Irish government, preferring to be complacent rather than competitive. It will be soon mass unemployment and massive savage price hikes for them to recover their golden eggs, but at this, stage their goose is well and truly cooked.
@Phose: oh stf up.
So they have found a reason to renege on all the election promises, that didn’t take long.
The ‘Left’ in Ireland has always felt that it has superior knowledge and principles when it came to Gaza.
They have been in ecstasy since 7-10-23, protests every Saturday, standing on our principles in regards to Shannon airport etc.
We may find out that principles don’t come without a cost.
@Antony Stack:
Left are only using the sand pikies as a conduit to criticize evil America.
So now is the time to save billions..
Shut downnall ngos.. saving 6 billion
Stop all payments to migrants while deporting 1000 per day easiy saving 1 billion plus per year.
CANCEL ALL INTERNATIONAL AID.
SET UP DOGE….BRING CUTS RIGHT ACROSS THE PUBLIC and civil service..
Slash social welfare payments save more billions..
@Pol O Nuanain: i dont mean pay cuts..Just wastage…quangos…overstaffed areas.
FFG wants us working people emigrated to make room for the “war torn” refugees
Wonderful news, especially for those literally going week to week with rising costs and a housing crisis accelerating with a government asleep at the wheel waffling.
As long as the banks have learned their lesson and haven’t behaved like someone after getting their first pay cheque then we should be ok.
The gravy train is about to hit the buffers for Ireland!!
Wait for it now, birds of a feather stick together.
Puitan found a way
Just nuke the white villa…
have your say