Homeless numbers top 10,000 for first time since pandemic

An increase in homelessness to more than 10,000 people, for the first time in over two years, is being greeted with alarm by those working at the coalface of the crisis.*

Described as “dreadful”, “appalling” and “very disappointing”, figures from the Department of Housing on Friday show there were 10,049 people, including 2,944 children, homeless during one week in April – an increase of 224 people since March.

And while the number of homeless single adults decreased nationally by 186 to 4,957 in April, this category continued to increase in Dublin, by 22, from 3,343 in March to 3,365 last month.*

The last time homelessness was at this level was in February 2020, when there were 10,198, including 3,584 children, in emergency accommodation across the State. Numbers had remained stubbornly at or above this rate since February 2019 and into 2020, but had fallen through the pandemic, as eviction bans stemmed flow into homelessness and more accommodation came on-stream in the private rented sector. Homeless figures were at their lowest in the last five years in May 2021, when they fell to 7,991.

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Speaking in Cork on Friday, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar said: “It is very disappointing to see the number of people in emergency accommodation go above 10,000 again. We had made a lot of progress in the last couple of years, particularly when it comes to reducing family homelessness.

“It seems that this increase is largely driven by single-people homelessness and what that indicates once again is that we need a very significant increase in supply of one-bedroom apartments,” he noted.

Dublin Simon Community said it was particularly worried about increasing numbers of single women in homelessness – now accounting for 35 per cent of single homeless adults. Emergency accommodation was “bursting at the seams”, it said, with “staff working at and beyond capacity to meet the growing demand for services”.

Immediate measures needed included: “effective regulation to stop rented homes being turned into short-term holiday lets; encouraging landlords to stay in the market; and tackling the problems with the Housing Assistant Payment (HAP) which are driving people into debt, arrears and homelessness,” said the charity.

David Carroll, chief executive of Depaul, which works with some of the most vulnerable single adults in homelessness, said: “The current state of the private rental sector is one of the main factors playing a part in homelessness. Single people are being priced out of the housing market. The average rent in Ireland is over €1,250 per month – in Dublin it is more than €1,750. HAP doesn’t cover this.”

He said HAP limits for single people were sufficient for just 7 per cent of available private rented stock. “An increased emphasis on housing for single homeless people is essential.”

Pat Dennigan, chief executive of Focus Ireland, the lead NGO working with homeless families, said: “It is appalling to see that the progress made through such hard work during the pandemic has so quickly been lost, and we are back to rising numbers of adults and children experiencing homelessness.”

The number of homeless families rose by 70 since March, with 55 of these in Dublin.

Crossing the “dreadful threshold” of 10,000 “must trigger a much stronger and urgent response from the Government”, he said.

Sinn Féin housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin laid the blame for the “return to record levels of homelessness” at the current and previous Governments’ door. “We need to see immediate action from the Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien,” he said.

The only way to really tackle the crisis, he said, was to increase the number of new social homes, owned by local authorities and approved housing bodies. “I don’t know what the Minister is waiting for. He and his Government must take action now.”

The latest figures come as a coalition of trade unions, housing activists, charities and advocacy groups for older people, children, students, Travellers and the poorest households announce plans for a series of nationwide meetings on the crisis.

The Raise the Roof campaign launch on Tuesday will be addressed by veteran housing campaigner Fr Peter McVerry, and will highlight “the impact of the worsening crisis, the failure of official housing policy, and the need for a radical change in policy direction”.

*This article was amended on Sunday, May 29th, 2022, to correct figures relating to the number of homeless single adults in Dublin.