The number of people accessing emergency accommodation because they are homeless increased in January. A total of 13,531 people are now availing of State provide emergency accommodation the highest ever figure on record.
The figures do not include people sleeping rough or those in tents or cars or living in overcrowded conditions or insecure accommodation. In addition approximately 1,010 recently arrived asylum seekers are known to be without any State-provided shelter. Many are sleeping rough in tents around the International Protection Office in Dublin city centre.
Today’s data for January includes 4,027 children and 9,504 adults and is an overall increase of 213 compared to December’s total of 13,318 people in emergency accommodation.
County Tipperary reports 45 people availed of homeless emergency accommodation in January an increase of 6 compared to December. County Limerick also reported an increase of 18 persons to reach a January total of 362 persons in homelessness.
The Dublin Simon Community has said Dublin now has close to 10,000 men, women and children homeless. Dublin Simon CEO Catherine Kenny says the figure is a devastating for the people involved and the capital city. CEO OF DePaul David Carroll says homelessness must continue to be “an immediate priority” in line with the imminent recommendations expected to be included in the Housing Commission’s final report on the current state of Ireland’s housing market.
The homeless report was issued by the Department of Housing today without comment from Minister Darragh O’Brien.
