Record homelessness figures force longer stays in emergency accommodation

Depaul chief executive David Carroll said: 'One in two Depaul service users have been staying in our emergency accommodation services beyond the recommended six-month stay .... This is not a good long-term environment for anyone — adults or children.'

People are being forced to spend longer in temporary accommodation than they should, charities have said, as new figures show a further deepening of the homelessness crisis.

The latest figures from the Department of Housing showed there were 12,259 people in emergency accommodation last month, a rise of 2.2% on the previous month, and a new all-time high.

Charities in the sector implored the Government to step in with tangible solutions and highlighted the almost 3,600 children in emergency accommodation as a particular concern.

Depaul chief executive David Carroll said: “At present one in two Depaul service users have been staying in our emergency accommodation services beyond the recommended six-month stay and 60% of these have been in short-term accommodation services for one year or more. This is not a good long-term environment for anyone — adults or children.

“What people are living through now is a pandemic of poverty and survival and what the figures don’t show is that those who are in emergency accommodation are struggling and just holding on.” 

'Deeply worrying'

Focus Ireland CEO Pat Dennigan said the increasing number of children who are homeless is “deeply worrying”.

“The government must intensify its efforts to make the ‘safety net’ a reality for tenants facing eviction, to speed up the delivery of social and affordable housing and ensure that those experiencing homelessness get a fair share of the new housing becoming available,” he said.

It comes as new documents revealed under the Freedom of Information Act show that small landlords extensively lobbied Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien in the days running up to the decision on whether to lift the eviction ban urging him not to extend it.

In most cases, those writing to Mr O’Brien gave an account of how the eviction ban was negatively affecting them. People said they could not move back into their own homes, or that they were attempting to sell their homes but were unable to do so while the ban was in place.

One person said they had recently bought a house and wanted to move into it, but could not do so as there were tenants in the house already.

“I want to live in the home I bought for myself, but you are preventing me from doing this," the person said.

“Whilst you sit around a room this evening trying to decide hastily how best to clean up the mess you have all created, remember me. I worked hard to buy that house. And you won’t let me live in it. You have caused me months of stress, financial worry, and uncertainty.” 

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Mr O’Brien also received an email from someone who said they were the owner of three rental properties, and that they needed to sell their properties immediately.

“You must know that this legislation is unconstitutional. It hasn’t stopped the lazy, unimaginative and, let’s be honest here, cheap part-solution to a social problem and yet you continue down this road,” the landlord said.

“I am not annoyed. I am incandescent with fury. Do not dare to restrict my rights any further on Tuesday, because I simply won’t be responsible.”