Focus Ireland says family homelessness ‘is getting worse’

It is common for at least 10 families with children to still be waiting for emergency accommodation by midnight on any given night, Focus Ireland has said, warning that the numbers are continuing to rise.

At the launch of its annual report on Thursday, the homelessness charity said 2015 was the worst year for family homelessness in its 30-year history.

The number of newly-homeless families rose from an average of 34 per month in 2014 to 60 per month last year, with the vast majority in the capital.

Chairman Gerry Danaher warned of the lack of progress being made, noting that the monthly average now stands at 86.

“In 2016, the situation is not only getting worse, but it is getting worse at a faster rate,” he said.

Despite the measures put in place by the Government, Mr Danaher said those addressing family homelessness were falling short.

He said the number of children within families who were classified as homeless in Dublin exceeded 2,000 for the first time this summer.

"Every night Focus Ireland, with the Homeless Executive, now struggle to ensure every family has somewhere safe to stay," he said.

“It is not uncommon for us to still be seeking beds for 10 or more families late into the evening. Frequently we are still seeking rooms for families as midnight approaches.

“The risk to children being forced to sleep rough with their families for want of an emergency bed is now an every-night reality.”

Last year, Focus Ireland assisted more than 12,500 people who were homeless, at risk of becoming homeless or who required assistance after finding somewhere to stay.

It saw a 9 per cent jump in the number of people accessing its services last year.

By the end of last July, there were 1,130 families, with 2,348 children, in emergency accommodation, including hotels, hostels and B&Bs, in towns and cities across the country.

The charity also unveiled its newly-redeveloped housing at Stanhope Green in Dublin, which includes 71 units.

It aims to provide 600 more homes by 2019 to double its current stock.

Coveney comment

The annual report was launched by Minister for Housing Simon Coveney, who admitted more might have been done to address the issue of homelessness previously.

“The issue of housing and homelessness is the most pressing social and economic issue facing Ireland,” he said.

“I would be the first to concede that in the last five years we could have, and should have, done more in this area.”

Mr Coveney said the problem had recently been described to him as being like trying to empty a bathtub with the taps on full.

He said there were other problems within the general area of housing that needed to be addressed.

For example, he said legislation has been drafted and will be introduced in the coming weeks to protect security of tenure for residents in cases where residential block ownership switches from one institutional investor to another.

In 2015, Focus Ireland had a total income of almost €22 million, including €12 million in grants and €7.3 million in donations.

It recorded an expenditure of €21 million, the majority of which (€18.6 million) went toward “direct charitable activities”.