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LAST UPDATE | 28 Aug 2020
THE NUMBER OF people in Ireland in emergency accommodation rose again last month, according to latest figures from the Department of Housing.
New homeless statistics show that 8,728 individuals were in emergency accommodation in July – a rise of 29 on the figures from June.
It reverses a trend in recent months, beginning with March, which saw the number of homeless people fall below 10,000.
Last month, there were 6,077 adults and 2,651 children in emergency accommodation. Within these figures were 1,142 families.
Charities warned in July that consecutive falls in the monthly figures would be reversed when the government ended the moratorium on evictions and rent freezes.
The ban expired on 1 August, and there have been reports of controversial evictions occurring in Dublin this month.
Sinn Féin spokesperson on housing Eoin Ó Broin claimed that the figures showed the Government’s decision to lift the ban on evictions and rent increases was “premature”.
“The figures were on a downward trend with the Covid-19 restrictions in place and while I hope this rise will not continue for next month’s figures, I think it will be inevitable due to the row back of protections for renters,” he said.
Also commenting on the figures, Dublin Simon Community urged the Government not to forget about people whose tenancies were in crisis before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“The slight rise in the July emergency accommodation numbers is a cause for concern,” CEO Sam McGuinness said.
“We are at a critical moment here. We must catch these people before they fall down the well of homelessness, because it is immensely difficult to climb back out.
“A winter like never before is coming and these people simply cannot be left out in the cold.”
Focus Ireland called on the Government to re-introduce eviction bans and rent freezes until the 19 virus is controlled.
“The last six months have proved that one of the best defences against Covid-19 is a stable home,” CEO Pat Dennigan said.
“Measures such as the moratorium on evictions and rent freezes have clearly worked as the number of children and adults who are homeless has reduced significantly in the last five months.
“Since the lapse of the initial ban on evictions and rent reviews, our services are now meeting tenants who are facing notices of terminations and evictions which is deeply concerning.”
CEO of Inner City Helping Homeless Anthony Flynn said this afternoon that the figures are underestimating the extent of the problem and that the situation will worsen.
“We are to see a tsunami coming at us hard and quick and we will not be prepared . Numbers in relation to rough sleepers are not factored in and we have seen a 50% increase in this number,” he said.
“With 164 people sleeping rough on one night last week. Figures also don’t include domestic violence shelters, direct provision centres or couch surfers and are completely disingenuous overall.”
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I don’t want to see anyone homeless but it is the states job to provide social housing not private landlords.
@Craic_a_tower: a person’s job to get their own home the state can help people get back on their feet with a temporary house
@eoin carroll: very true but with a state creating conditions for institutional landlords to hoover up housing and keep it out of the reach of most people it is extremely hard for people.
@Aidan O’ Neill: hoovering up is a big exaggeration. They mostly built what they rent and still don’t come close to providing the majority of rentals. The majority of landlords own 1-2 rentals. I don’t agree with REIT tax breaks but they provide housing that wouldn’t exist otherwise
@Craic_a_tower: And social housing tends to create ghettos, massive anti social behaviour and organised crime.
@Bain triail aisti: If done incorrectly then yes, ghettos can occur. Organised crime is present in every community regardless of its placement on the socio economic scale and to believe otherwise is to have fallen for the marketing of middle class culture adopted from the UK.
The country has reopened. The eviction ban needs to be gotten rid of not extended. Sure why would anyone bother paying rent. Live for free for years on the back of someone else, safe in the knowledge that no one can evict or touch you. Great little country we live in.
@Sean Minihane: The eviction ban ended weeks ago?
@Lisa Saputo: yes, and what is less known, tenants who were served with invalid termination notice are on time to lodge a complaint in the RTB. The time was elapsed and the fairness, everything was locked down, no legal assistance, no phone assistance, no public library for scan, print, photo copy and so on
@Lisa Saputo: has it not been extended to Jan 2021 for certain renters.
@Sean Minihane: no, the Homexit Bill only set a date for staying. People can be served and must leave on 11 January 2021 …. ruining Christmas anyway … no senses
Also the Homexit Bill ignores the Tenancy Act and HAP contract …. that is unbelievable …. and people still wonder about the housing crisis
HAP conditions, tenancy must be registered in the RTB, any change and agreement in payment must be registered in the RTB by the landlord … The Homexit Bill demands the tenants in HAP disclose it to the RTB, so they are protected … non senses
@Maria Quinn: after what’s happened who will want to be a private landlord when you see government offer no protection and left it up to property owners to provide free housing. This one factor is going to cause more homeless as landlords exit.
@Sean Minihane: the country has not reopened. Large sections of it have. But, 10,000s of pub owners and their employees as well as those in many other businesses cannot return to work and are in limbo when it comes to their rent. I guess they’re not real people, though, and they should not be entitled to a roof over their heads.
People should be allowed use their assets as they please.
Very sad an unprecedented tsunami of homelessness with side effect of losing their jobs too.
The darkest Christmas is coming
….. and for not reason at all ! Most of the landlords doesn’t even own the property, banks own them
It is not only not having a home, it is also not being able to get a job because of not having a home for e.working
@Maria Quinn: what drivel. The bank doesn’t own the property. Not private citizens job to do what the government ment is meant to do. If it is so obvious then get the government to issue out money to pay rent.
@Craic_a_tower: untill the mortgage is paid in full, the property is owned by the bank …. two recent evictions in Dublin, Seville Place and the nine black tenants …. and vulture founds home owners losing their homes without any mortgage in arrears . Only the Law in this Land permits something like this so banks are the owners in the Law
@Maria Quinn: I have a mortgage and my ownership is registered withe the state. The bank don’t own it. My mortgage is secured on my house and I may be contractually required to sell it if I don’t pay the loan. Untll the mortgage is completely paid off, the bank keeps first call on any monies from selling it, but I still own it.
@Maria Quinn: lets have communism and see where that goes!
The homeless industry and its high paid advocates back from staycation.
( Farmer said to Vet doing TB test “Is it nearly eradicated”. Vet replied “I hope not”)
@Michael Reilly: 30k per head of homeless numbers in funding, laughable really, you house all the homeless in new homes for half the cost to keep the industry afloat.
According to this article there have been “reports of controversial evictions” which then links to a report of 1 eviction … not hundreds, dozens, or even two evictions. Typical journo with an agenda, creating a panic by hyping a one off incident into a crisis in order to sensationalise a non-story.
The Council need to remove the earning limit on Who can apply for a council house, Only then will we see the true extent of homlessness.
There are thousands of middle earners living in rented rooms or still at home with parents who although have a roof are Actually homeless.
Please change “admit warnings” to “because..”
@John “J” McCarthy: that wouldn’t be grammatically correct
have your say