Homeless crisis may get worse, warn support groups

The Government has been warned that the homelessness crisis may worsen unless steps are taken to protect people in the private, rented sector, after latest figures showed a record 9,104 people were homeless in January.

It is the first time the monthly homelessness total has topped the 9,000-mark, with the number trebling since the first monthly figures were produced in July 2014.

The January figure comprised 5,837 adults and 3,267 children, and 1,517 families. The latter is an increase from the 1,408 families homeless in December, but slightly lower than the comparable figure for last November.

Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said while the overall increase in homelessness in January was anticipated “to a degree”, the same could not be said of the rise in the number of homeless families between December and January.

“The extent of the increase in January was not anticipated and, following a meeting with the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive, I have requested that it investigate the matter further and prepare a detailed report for review,” he said.

Regarding the overall number of homeless people, the minister said the 200 new, permanent beds, added to the system in the last quarter of last year, had played a role, along with extra emergency beds, added as part of the cold weather initiatives, still in use in January and availed of by rough-sleepers.

“While no increase in the number of people who are experiencing homelessness is welcome, there is no doubt that rough-sleepers are better-off in emergency services, receiving the necessary supports and assistance,” he said.

“We also, now, have in place our national director of Housing First, which should help, in terms of making positive progress for adults who are experiencing homelessness.”

He also referred to the Rapid Hub Programme, which has created additional family hub places and which got underway in January.

However, while the Department of Housing referred to a slower rate of increase in family homelessness last year, homelessness support organisations said the crisis was deepening.

Simon Communities said that for the 9,104 people living in emergency accommodation, “their lives are on hold. They have nowhere to go. The solution is social and affordable housing”.

Focus Ireland director of advocacy, Mike Allen, said any attempts to focus on a slowing rate of increase in homelessness showed “a loss of perspective”.

Mr Allen said some good work had been done over the past year, and that more houses were being built and more beds had been made available, but the extent to which people were entering homelessness was shown in the spiralling figures.

“We have continued to say the single-biggest reason [for homelessness] is because the landlord is being forced to sell up, ending the lease and evicting the family.”

He said the Government had to close that loophole, particularly with the prospect of non-performing buy-to-let loans being bought by vulture funds, which, he said, had no interest in tax reliefs, just quick profits.

He said the focus, so far, had been primarily on owner-occupiers, who could be affected by the sale of these loans, whereas, there also needed to be a focus on the people and families in the private, rented sector who could be vulnerable.

The latest figures showed that 67% of the homeless population were in Dublin, including 2,509 dependents, with increases in Cork, Limerick, and Galway, also.