Strong criticism locally after number of homeless people reaches new record of 14,760

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

The number of homeless people living in emergency accommodation rose to 14,760 last month, according to official figures.

This includes 4,561 children and 2,133 families, the Department of Housing figures for September showed.

It was a 1.9 per cent increase on the previous month, when 14,486 people were homeless.

Wayne Stanley, executive director of the Simon Communities of Ireland, said that these could be the last figures released before a general election is called.

“It is often noted, but worth restating, that behind these figures are men, women and children who are suffering the trauma of homelessness – many for far too long.

“This is because of the failure of our housing system and successive governments in addressing it effectively.

“These will likely be the last figures released before a general election is called. If we are to turn the corner on homelessness, the next government has to take a proactive approach, and they have to be ambitious and genuinely committed to working toward ending homelessness by 2030.”

Catherine Kenny, chief executive of Dublin Simon Community, said that since the Dáil was last dissolved in 2020, homelessness has increased by 41 per cent.

“While there is no silver bullet, a future government needs to deliver a real integrated response,” she said.

“This must be a combined effort across government departments, in areas including health, equality, social protection and others.

“Recommendations from the Housing Commission report, revised targets on housing delivery and recent recommendations by the Dublin City Taskforce should be debated as to their merits and possibilities.”

Social Democrats councillor Ronan Moore has described the latest homelessness figures as a damning indictment of the Government’s failed housing policy.

Cllr Moore, who is the party’s general election candidate in Meath West, said:

“In the Mid-East region, which includes Meath, Kildare and Wicklow, there are 712 people living in homeless emergency accommodation – 194 of them are children.

“Nationally, there are now 14,760 people living in homeless emergency accommodation.

"Shamefully, 4,561 of these are children – a 72 percent increase since this Government took office.

“Out of the 52 monthly homeless reports during this Government’s tenure, homelessness has increased 41 times and a new record has been set 23 times.

“To put the latest figures into perspective, when this Government was formed in June 2020, there were 8,699 people in homeless emergency accommodation, 2,653 of them children.

“It is important we do not lose sight of what these statistics mean. Every time someone becomes homeless a life is devastated. Every child growing up without a home is a tragedy.

“Thousands are being forced to go through this trauma while the Government has a €25 billion budget surplus. It is cruel and completely unacceptable.

“The depressing familiarity of this record being broken is an indictment of this Government’s legacy.”

The Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín TD has accused the government of "failing on absolutely every front" when it comes to housing.

Speaking today, Deputy Tóibín said: All the statistics are going in the wrong direction. The government cannot continue to pretend that they're trying their best or that we're making small progress - this is not true. We are experiencing regression. For every day this government has been in office the situation has been getting worse".

Deputy Tóibín continued: "Many families are facing the abyss. Even the small simple steps that could be used to mitigate against the worst effects of this disaster are being ignored by the government. Their attempts to bring into use already existing vacant properties, both publicly and privately owned, have been embarrassing. The initial criteria the government set for the vacant property refurbishment grant meant that you had to be a homeless homeowner to qualify. In the first year and a half of this grant only a quarter of a million euro was being paid out each month. At this rate it will take over three thousand years for the government to bring every vacant home back into use!!"

"At local authority level there are 4,000 vacant council houses - houses the State owns, laying empty. It is an absolute disgrace. The government have no credibility on this issue”, concluded Tóibín.