Record 5,000 children now homeless in Ireland as charities slam Government inaction

The figures continue a relentless rise in the number of homeless people in Ireland. File picture: Norma Burke/RollingNews.ie

The number of children who are homeless in Ireland has risen to over 5,000 for the first time, on what is being described as a “dark” and “shameful” day for Ireland.

In its latest update, the Department of Housing said that a total of 11,044 adults and 5,014 children were living in emergency accommodation at the end of July. This included 2,343 families.

This was up from 10,957 adults and 4,958 children reported as homeless in June.

It means yet another new record has been set for the number of people in emergency accommodation in Ireland, with the figure now at 16,058.

It marks a relentless rise in homelessness in Ireland, as charities in the sector urgently call on the Government to take action to reverse these trends.

Simon Communities of Ireland executive director Ber Grogan said that it is “depressing and despicable” that the numbers keep rising month-on-month.

“We want this to be a turning point,” she said. “Many people are being left behind. People are being forgotten about, and people feel uncared for. To think that there’s over 5,000 children homeless at a time when they should be excited about going back to school.

"Without a change we don't see these numbers going in any other way."

Focus Ireland CEO Pat Dennigan said: “We believe that no child should be without a home. Homelessness hurts everyone and it hurts children the most. We need to end child homelessness. For good.” 

He said that he had recently met with Housing Minister James Browne, and his organisation had stressed how a “radical shift” was needed in homelessness policy in the Government’s new housing plan, expected to be published next month.

Meanwhile, opposition TDs criticised the Government at an event in Dublin organised by the Simon Communities.

Social Democrat housing spokesperson Rory Hearne described exceeding 5,000 children in homeless accommodation in Ireland as a “deeply shameful day for Ireland”.

“This isn’t just something that is happning that the Government has no control over,” he said. “It’s preventable, not inevitable.” 

People Before Profit’s Paul Murphy said this is something we cannot accept as becoming “normal”.

“We have to push back at the normalisation of this level of horror,” he said. “We need to scream about this. We need a ban on evictions, the reinstatement of the tenant-in-situ scheme and a commitment to build social and affordable housing.” 

The Government signing up to the Lisbon Declaration to end homelessness by 2030 was highlighted by Labour’s Conor Sheehan.

He said that Government plans to change rent controls next year will “put a rocket under these figures” and said a bespoke plan is needed to tackle child homelessness.

Earlier this week, children’s charity Barnardos revealed the stark experiences faced by families it is in contact with, as it urged the Government to take action in the upcoming Budget.

In one case, it outlined: “Lone mother with two young children living in emergency accommodation was told by local authority that they had sourced her HAP housing she could afford. Unfortunately, there was no heating at all in the property along with other problems.

“Mother was told that all she had to do was to buy plugin electric heaters. She had considerable concerns about the cost of running these, their effectiveness and whether it was a health risk to her children. However, she was told if she did not take the property the local authority would no longer have a duty to house her and her children.” 

In another case, it said: “Mother with two young children entered emergency accommodation. They had suddenly lost their home, social housing, and moved into an extremely cramped one-bedroom hotel room.

“This was very traumatic for the older child, who was 4 at the time, as he had to give up his bedroom and home which he loved within a few weeks of his grandfather dying. The hotel room they were provided by the local authority had stained sheets and faeces on the curtains.

“When a complaint was raised the mother, she was simply told to go to a local store to purchase new sheets. The son couldn’t understand what she had done wrong to be put there, and became withdrawn in his crèche.”