Homelessness situation is set to deteriorate, Oireachtas committee will hear

Louise Bayliss, from homeless group Focus Ireland will represent the National One Parent Family Alliance and will state that there are now 1,940 families homeless in Ireland, up from a figure of 925 in less than three years. Picture: Moya Nolan

Ireland’s homeless situation for older people is set to deteriorate in the coming years “unless we can decide who will pay the rent when they retire”, according to a leading advocacy group for the elderly.

Representatives from Alone will tell the Oireachtas housing committee that Ireland’s population figures suggest that in the next 20 years, the country will need “at least double” the current levels of social housing suitable for older people.

They will state that in addition to the rising numbers of homeless older people, the number of elderly men and women privately renting has increased, as has the number of such people requiring local authority housing, and “the rate of older people living alone in mortgage arrears is also increasing”.

“This is against the backdrop of Ireland as one of the most rapidly ageing EU member states, with a pension system based around home ownership, and without the culture of provision of sheltered housing for older people that we see in other jurisdictions.

“This all means we will see more homelessness in older people unless we can decide who will pay the rent when they retire,” they will state.

The committee will hear this afternoon that the family homeless situation in Ireland has “deteriorated”, having increased by 110% since 2021.

Louise Bayliss from homeless group Focus Ireland will represent the National One Parent Family Alliance and will state that there are now 1,940 families homeless in Ireland, up from a figure of 925 in less than three years.

All homelessness is fundamentally wrong, but homelessness is particularly devastating for families and children — it causes trauma, contributes to malnutrition, and carries lifelong adverse outcomes for children. 

"Under international law, the State has obligations to protect the rights of the child, which should be reflected in the urgency to end child homelessness,” she will say.

The Cork Simon Community will separately tell the committee that it is currently “busier than ever”.

“The increased service pressures have been accompanied by increased financial pressures and a recruitment and retention crisis,” the grouping will state, while calling for an increased allocation of social housing to those experiencing homelessness — “with a particular focus on people who are long term homeless”.

Dublin city centre traders association Dublin Town will meanwhile tell the committee that “the single greatest barrier to people enjoying Dublin city centre are poor perceptions of personal safety”, adding that they have come to the conclusion that “there are shortcomings in how we, as a society, are providing necessary supports to those in need”.

The organisation will note the “heavy concentration” of social services provided within the city centre itself.

“There are districts of 250m radius where up to 1,000 highly vulnerable people are being accommodated. There are locations where we understand over 300 people, who have been asked to leave other accommodation, are now being housed,” they will state, adding that the proliferation of such services in a small geographical area “is inconsistent with best practice” and is “facilitating drug markets with the core city centre”.