'Ask about homelessness when politicians knock at the door' 

There are now 14,429 people without a home, despite Government promises of Its failure to act has created a true emergency

Speaking at the launch of Focus Ireland’s annual report, Pat Dennigan said the Government was obscuring the 'enormous cost' of its failure to reduce homelessness, as charities working in this sector are left 'permanently on the edge of crisis'.

 “Our plans to fix the supply of both social and private housing are working and this is borne out by the most recent build figures... And yet we still see more people entering emergency accommodation.

“I am in constant contact with local authorities and am working with them to help move families out of emergency accommodation and into sustainable housing solutions.” 

So reads the first quote.

The second quote says: “[This is] a shameful and saddening example of failed Government policy.

“There have been flashy launches with hard hats and photo opportunities however the facts speak for themselves. Not enough is being done to bring homeless numbers down. The Minister should be doing his level best to bring these lists down, not commenting on them to express his disappointment when they are announced.” 

These were two of the reactions when the number of homeless people in Ireland exceeded 10,000 for the first time.

The first quote was from then minister for housing Eoghan Murphy. The second was from then-Fianna Fáil housing spokesperson and now-Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien.

Grim milestone

In the five years since that grim milestone was reached in February 2019, the number of people in emergency accommodation in Ireland actually fell during the pandemic before rebounding and rebounding sharply since.

The plans referenced from 2019 have obviously not worked. And plans since then have not arrested this surge.

Last Friday, the latest figures showed a new record 14,429 people as homeless in Ireland, including 4,401 children. Where 10,000 had once been a mark that critics said brought enduring shame on the Government, such is the increase that reducing it back to such a level feels very far away at present.

Again and again, the monthly figures are showing more and more people in emergency accommodation in this country.

Whereas the issue once dominated headlines, such as the death of homeless man John Corrie on the streets of Dublin 10 years ago, the occupation of Apollo House in 2016 and the vow from then-Housing Minister Simon Coveney that hotels would no longer be used to house families, these new records barely cause a ripple.

Behind the scenes, the sustained increase is putting ever more pressure on the services on the ground offering support, with no respite on the horizon.

“Our resources as a charity get stretched further and further with every increase in the numbers,” said Focus Ireland Ceo Pat Dennigan in an interview with the Irish Examiner this week.

“It’s not us alone. It’s across the charity sector. The numbers going up translates to a demand for our services all the time.” 

 It’s a difficult tightrope to walk for charities such as this working in the sector. They are heavily reliant on Government funding, so criticism of its action or inaction must be measured.

'Permanently on the edge of crisis'

Speaking at the launch of Focus Ireland’s annual report, Mr Dennigan said the Government was obscuring the “enormous cost” of its failure to reduce homelessness, as charities working in this sector are left “permanently on the edge of crisis”.

He later told the Irish Examiner: “I think what we try to do at all times is to try and be constructive. We try to draw on the experience of the people that we encounter.

“We’re not in a situation where we’re going for a bashing of any political party, but we’re trying to come from a constructive position in a time of crisis. It is a definite line to walk.” 

One aspect that would help greatly during this crisis is increased numbers of social homes, which the Government has pledged to deliver, while in its housing plan announced this week Sinn Féin has vowed to deliver 75,000 social homes should it be in power.

The Focus Ireland chief executive was clear that the Government should adopt a policy that dedicates a portion of the social housing supply to long-term homeless families, and there have been “chinks of light” in the delivery of social housing.

“Quite apart from the political side of things, the Housing Commission report was able to draw parallels with other European countries where social housing is about 20% of the overall housing stock.” Mr Dennigan said.

Gap to catch up to

“It’s about 10% in Ireland. So, we have that gap to catch up to get to that level in the first place. Now, we’re coming from a very low base and we need to build momentum.” With a general election looming, and despite other issues perhaps higher on the agenda, he said that he would like to see coherent plans put on the table to address homelessness that may finally go some way towards solving the problem.

And that is away from the kind of rhetoric that is frequently trotted out when figures get announced.

“We would call on our supporters and people who follow us or who would listen to our message, when you get people on your doorstep for the election, ask these critical questions,” he added.

“Ask them what political parties are going to do about the issue of housing, but also the issue of homelessness. For the next few years, as a nation, we’ve committed to ending homelessness by 2030. We need a clear set of milestones and a clear plan to do that if it’s going to be achieved.

“It doesn’t matter which political parties do this. It’s a national initiative in a national crisis that we should achieve.”