Lifting of eviction ban 'will see homelessness rise above record figure'
'This is a policy-made crisis', says Simon Communities of Ireland executive director Wayne Stanley. Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins Photos
The number of people without a home has topped 12,000 for the first time ever and will continue to rise in the weeks and months to come, thanks to the lifting of the eviction ban.
That was the warning from homeless charities as they said the crisis is one of the Government's own making, as a result of its decision to lift the ban.
The latest figures from the Department of Housing show that there were 12,259 people in emergency accommodation in April.
Almost 3,600 children are among those stuck in hostels, family hubs, hotel rooms, and B&Bs.
The Simon Communities of Ireland executive director Wayne Stanley said it was shocking that the situation had been allowed to reach this point.
“While we have to acknowledge important initiatives taken by Government and rolled out by local authorities, such as the tenant in situ scheme, we also have to recognise that this is a policy-made crisis,” he said.
Focus Ireland said the crisis is affecting individuals and families of all ages from different backgrounds, whose lives are on hold as they “anxiously navigate a broken housing system”.
Its CEO Pat Dennigan said we will continue seeing the impact of the lifting of the eviction ban through May and June. He said there were “too many holes” in the Government’s safety nets, and people are “falling through into homelessness”.
Mr Dennigan stressed that it is never too late to address the crisis, and the Government must intensify its efforts to make these “safety nets” a reality for tenants facing eviction, as well as speeding up the delivery of social and affordable housing.
Depaul chief executive David Carroll said the latest figures show that the removal of the eviction ban “has had a significant impact”.
“If, in three or four months, we don't have it right, we will experience more street homelessness, drug use, and families in crisis," he said.
The Opposition also rounded on the Government, with Sinn Féin’s housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin saying the country had reached a “new and terrifying record”.
“On the basis of what we are seeing in constituency offices across the State, homelessness is going to continue to rise at an even faster rate in the coming months,” he said.
The surge in homelessness comes as the State also struggles to provide shelter for international protection applicants and Ukrainian refugees.
One of the top officials in Europe’s leading human rights body has written to the Government to express concern at the severe lack of accommodation for those seeking protection, and said it will add to “anti-refugee sentiment".
In the letter, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Duna Mijatović told the Taoiseach and Integration Minister Roderic O'Gorman and Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien, that reception conditions for international protection applicants have been inadequate since summer 2022.
She said she was "concerned" at the early 2023 decision to only offer emergency accommodation to applicants with children, which she added is reported to have left more than 900 applicants, including some who may be minors, in street homelessness.
In the Government's response, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar described the situation as "extremely challenging".
"Due to the sheer scale of the numbers arriving, in the midst of a pre-existing housing shortage in Ireland, there have been particular difficulties in sourcing sufficient amounts of accommodation to meet the increased demand," he said.
He accepted the response falls short of what is required, adding the Government is "working tirelessly to deal with the problem".
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