Eight babies born into Depaul's homelessness services in the past year

The year of 2023 has been marked with new record numbers of homeless people in Ireland being reported across many months.

Eight babies were born into homelessness services run by Depaul over the last 12 months, the charity said, as it warned of the “staggering human cost” on those who are homeless heading into the Christmas period.

Depaul, which provides accommodation at Deerpark House in Cork along with other services around the country, said that the cost of not intervening has longer-term consequences for individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

“Many of our clients (both individuals and families) present with multiple complex support needs, including any combination of physical health, mental health and addiction issues,” the charity CEO David Carroll said.

“Homelessness discriminates, has a severe impact on a person's physical and mental health, and takes away basic human rights such as housing and health. Homelessness can be a desperately lonely and isolating place to be, especially in the run-up to Christmas.” 

The year of 2023 has been marked with new record numbers of homeless people in Ireland being reported across many months. The most recent data for October showed that 9,188 adults and 3,991 children in Ireland were homeless.

Within these numbers were almost 2,000 homeless families, of which more than half were single-parent families.

Speaking after the announcement of funding for homeless services within Budget 2024, Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien said it was the “single biggest priority” of Government and his “absolute desire” to bring down these numbers.

Mr Carroll said that the current state of homelessness in Ireland calls for a retrospective review around policy and how well it’s working.

“The upward trajectory can't continue and it’s critical that we see a turning point in the number of people enduring homelessness across the island of Ireland,” he said. 

“We’ve set projections around climate change, it's now time that we set projections for homelessness, taking into account that we have made a commitment with the EU to end homelessness by 2030.” 

Making the remarks as the charity launched its homelessness crisis Christmas appeal, Mr Carroll said that almost half of families (45%) it is accommodating have been there longer than a year.

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“The groups we work with are telling us they are at breaking point,” he said. “They are feeling the pressure of being in temporary accommodation - mentally, physically and financially.

“Homeless services are not designed for long-term stays. Temporary accommodation should only be used as a short-term emergency measure yet many are finding themselves living in homeless accommodation for several years.” 

Mr Carroll added that the increased numbers requiring its services this year shows the urgent need for further supports. Following the publication of the September homelessness figures, the housing minister had said every effort is being made to reduce homelessness.

“We can see some of this hard work paying off in terms of the significant increases in preventing people from entering emergency accommodation and helping people to exit,” Mr O’Brien said.

“However, the situation is very challenging and tackling this issue is a Government priority. We know that increasing the supply of new homes, particularly social and affordable homes, is key to tackling homelessness.”