Number of people in emergency housing hits new record high of 15,418

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

A record 15,418 people were living in emergency accommodation in the Republic last month, 4,675 of whom are children, figures show.

Opposition parties called for a “radical” reset on housing to stem the constant increase in homelessness.

The official figures show there were 40 more people, 22 of whom were children, using emergency accommodation in March compared with February, when 15,378 were recorded as homeless.

The figures for January saw 15,286 people homeless, 4,603 of whom were children.

The true number of people who are homeless is thought to be much higher, as the monthly figures do not include people sleeping on the streets, couch-surfing or those who access accommodation in domestic violence refuges or Direct Provision.

The monthly Department of Housing tally has been growing steadily for years as governments have struggled to address the housing crisis which emerged after the recession.

House prices and rents have skyrocketed, particularly after the Covid-19 pandemic, as supply remains constrained and demand has increased.

The Government has increased its new-build housing targets for the coming years in response, but missed last year’s overall target and its social homes target for several years running.

The Central Bank of Ireland has also warned that the State is on track to miss its housing targets for the next three years.

Homelessness charity the Simon Communities of Ireland said that since March last year, an extra 1,552 people are in emergency accommodation.

Ber Grogan, executive director of the Simon Communities of Ireland, said: “This time four years ago, it was reported that 8,060 men, women and children were experiencing homelessness.

“That number has nearly doubled since then. It’s hard to fathom how we can reverse these figures in the next five years without urgent action.

“If we’re serious about ending homelessness by 2030, we need to start treating it like the crisis it is.

“Housing and homelessness must become a top priority for Government.

“Our latest Locked Out Of The Market report highlights the severe shortage of options in the private rental sector.

“We need to act now to protect people from falling into homelessness. Prevention is not only the most economically sensible approach, it’s also the morally right thing to do.”

Sinn Féin housing spokesman Eoin O Broin said the rise is a “direct consequence of the failure of the Government to address this ever-deepening housing and homelessness crisis”.

Mr O Broin also accused the Government of “slashing funding” for local authority social housing acquisitions.

Pointing to analysis of year-on-year changes for funding to schemes such as Housing First and Tenant-in-Situ, he said cuts would mean more people would become homeless.

“This Government is actually slashing funding for local authorities for these vital schemes, ranging anywhere from 35 per cent to an astonishing 100 per cent cut in Cork,” he said.

He added: “In Dublin City, the impact of the cut by James Brown will reduce funding by – at a minimum – 50 per cent.

“What that means is less Tenant-in-Situ acquisitions, less Housing First acquisitions, and that means more people, including families with children, will become homeless, and those people in emergency accommodation will be in that accommodation for even longer.”

Labour TD Conor Sheehan said each week “brings a new low” in the Government’s handling of the housing crisis.

“There is no way to sugarcoat this. It’s a national scandal, and it is a direct result of Government failure to treat housing as the emergency it clearly is,” he said.

“Despite the rhetoric, there is no urgency, no strategic leadership, and no willingness to admit the scale of the crisis.”

Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne said the latest figures were “a shameful milestone for a government that never prioritised homelessness”.

Mr Hearne, the party’s housing spokesperson, said the proposed removal of rent caps and cuts to the tenant-in-situ scheme will add to already rising levels of homelessness.

“Overall, there are 256 more children in emergency accommodation than there were six months ago. These trends will continue unless there is a radical shift in Government policy,” he said.

“Rising levels of homelessness will continue to outpace any social and affordable housing delivery from the State unless there is a radical shift in Government policy, which must have a far greater focus on the tenant-in-situ scheme.”