Homeless figures ‘tip of iceberg’

TWO of the country’s leading charities yesterday highlighted the chronic poverty in Ireland.

St Vincent de Paul revealed that it spent €21 million in just nine months last year helping the poor.

The Simon Community revealed that there are 300 people now sleeping rough in Dublin every night, compared to 250 in London.

Both organisations were highlighting poverty to the Government ahead of next week’s budget.

Simon’s fundraising manager Caroline O’Connell says the problem of homelessness is growing all the time.

“In Dublin we’ve seen a huge increase in the numbers. At the moment, there are an estimated 5,000 homeless in Ireland, of which 4,000 are in Dublin city.

“That is the tip of the iceberg as far as we are concerned because those figures are taken from the last street count taken three years ago.

“This year’s census hasn’t been released yet, but from the numbers of people being helped by our services we expect a significant increase.”

On any given night in Dublin city centre some 300 people sleep rough, some of them as young as 11 or 12, according to Simon.

The Simon Community’s services across the country - including outreach services, emergency accommodation and transition housing - will cost around €6 million to run this year. While St Vincent de Paul spent €21 million in the last nine months of last year, it received a grant for the entire year of 8.5 million from the Government.

The organisation raised €16 million itself through public donations.

The society revealed the figures yesterday as it called on the Government not to punish the poor in next week’s budget.

Cuts in health, housing and education - recently announced in the Book of Estimates - “almost beggar belief”, the Society of St Vincent De Paul (SVP) said.

SVP estimates that it would cost €4 billion, or four times the amount at Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy’s disposal, if it was to meet all its demands on December 4.

The society is demanding a minimum €130 per week as the lowest social welfare rate, €25 per child as child dependent allowance on a minimum wage (€247 per week) be taken out of the tax net.

National president Brian O’Reilly said: “We must never forget that we are dealing with people who are hurting, suffering people.

“They are struggling with resources that don’t even allow them provide for many of the basics of a normal life.”