Number of homeless children in State reaches record 3,904 in September

Three-quarters of families who have entered homelessness since the lifting of the eviction ban are one-parent families, official figures show, with the number of children in emergency accommodation at an all-time high of 3,904.

The number of homeless children, the highest since figures started being compiled in 2014, is included in the Department of Housing’s homelessness report for September.

It states that 12,827 people were residing in emergency accommodation last month, up from 12,691 in August. The total has risen by 16.8 per cent, or 1,852 people, over the past 12 months.

Of the 8,923 adults recorded as homeless, 5,822 (65 per cent) were single, and a majority (61 per cent) were men. More than half of homeless adults were aged 25-44.

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Some 57 per cent of homeless people were Irish, while 23 per cent were from the European Economic Area or the UK, the report states. The remaining 20 per cent were from non-European countries.

There were 1,892 families accessing emergency accommodation last month, of which 58 per cent were single parent families. The number of homeless families increased by 88 (4.8 per cent) during the third quarter of the year and is 291 (18.2 per cent) higher than at the end of September last year.

Responding to the figures, Karen Kiernan, chief executive of One Family, an organisation supporting single-parent families, said the numbers are “staggering”.

“It is important to note that these statistics only include families accessing emergency accommodation, suggesting that the true extent of homelessness among one parent families may be even more concealed. Many of these families are grappling with the cost of living crisis, high poverty rates and deprivation, causing them to return to their original family homes for support.”

Tanya Ward, chief executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance, said children in homelessness are “very vulnerable”, with one experience of homelessness having a “destabilising effect” that can have an impact on their development and inflict trauma on the children.

Pat Dennigan, chief executive of Focus Ireland, said the surge in child homelessness could be attributed primarily to the growing difficulty that families face in securing new homes and breaking free from the cycle of homelessness.

“The Government is not using anywhere near enough of the newly available social housing. It is imperative to allocate a more equitable portion of these new housing resources to families and individuals who have been experiencing long-term homelessness,” he said.

Wayne Stanley, executive director of the Simon Communities, said there was no action taken in the budget that could “make a significant dent in the ongoing homelessness crisis”.

“We saw the impact of the efforts made during the pandemic to reduce homelessness so we know a crisis response will deliver results,” he said.

David Carroll, chief executive of homeless charity Depaul, said the mental health of people trapped in homelessness was “deteriorating greatly”.

“Ongoing therapeutic interventions are urgently needed for children, in particular, to help them deal with the chronic stress induced by homelessness,” he said.

Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien said tackling the homelessness crisis was a “Government priority”.

“Last year we delivered the highest amount of social homes in decades and record delivery of new-build social housing since the mid-1970s. Based on the projections and data available, we are confident that this year we will exceed last year’s performance and post another impressive level of delivery,” he said.

“There is a strong pipeline of over 22,600 social homes either on site or at various stages of design and procurement. All of this will help provide more housing solutions, including for those who are at risk of homelessness.”

Sinn Féin housing spokesman Eóin Ó Bróin said it was not enough for the Government to say combating homelessness and housing shortages was its main priority.

“They have to act like it’s their number one priority,” he said. “The only way we are going to address this deepening crisis is with a general election, a change of government and a radical change of housing plan.”

The department also published its quarterly report on homelessness, which found 566 households, including 703 adults, exited emergency accommodation by way of a tenancy being created in the third quarter of this year.

This represents an increase of 1.9 per cent on the number of adults exiting in the second quarter, and a year-on-year increase of 4.1 per cent.

Additionally, a further 713 households, including 882 adults, were prevented from entering emergency accommodation by way of a tenancy being created during this quarter, the report states.

This is the same number of adults prevented from entering emergency accommodation as last quarter, and a year-on-year increase of 30.6 per cent.