Shocking homeless figures published

THE Government is being urged to introduce emergency measures to tackle a surge in the numbers of homeless sleeping rough in Dublin.

Figures published last week following a head count of city streets confirmed a rise of over 35 per cent in people sleeping rough over the past six months.

Last April the Dublin Region Homeless Executive found a minimum of 94 people sleeping rough but a count last month revealed the number had risen to 139.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing and Dublin West TD, Dessie Ellis is now calling for emergency measures to be put in place to tackle the increasing numbers of those sleeping rough through the winter.

“Rough sleepers are in the vast majority of cases on the street because of the serious shortage of emergency accommodation which is also over subscribed because of a failure to address long term homelessness which is also growing,

? he said.

“The Government needs to give a detailed and clear plan of how they are tackling this very serious problem. Most of their pronouncements so far have been very light on figures and what figures they include are very vague.

?

Of the 139 persons confirmed sleeping rough last month 111 (80 per cent) were male, 20 (14 per cent) were female and eight (six per cent) were unknown.

Over half (73-53 per cent) were Irish, 39 (28 per cent) were non-national and 27 (19 per cent) were of unknown origin. The unknown figures are due to some of those counted being asleep at the time of the count.

Dublin Simon Community said the figures reflect the rising trends seen by its volunteers during its own weekly street counts of rough sleepers.

Numbers counted by Simon volunteers are up 66 per cent the second half of this year (July-November 2013) compared to the same period in 2012. Between July and September there was a staggering 88 per cent increase.

Sam McGuinness of Dublin Simon Community described last week’s figures as

“truly shocking

?.

“We are cognisant of the fact that bricks and mortar alone will not solve homelessness,

? he said.

“Our efforts will be enhanced by offering support to those who move on from homelessness and by providing preventative measures ensuring people do not become homeless at all.

“Tens of thousands of us are just one pay cheque, one social welfare payment, one family problem, one health diagnosis, one mortgage repayment away from becoming homeless.

?

The Peter McVerry Trust, which also works with Dublin’s homeless community, said the latest rough sleeper figures were a stark reminder of the size of the challenge that those working in the sector face.

CEO Pat Doyle described the figures as

“disappointing and unacceptable

?.

“The figures clearly indicate that the homeless situation remains extremely challenging but it is a challenge that Peter McVerry Trust is determined to address,

? he said.

“In anticipation of what we believed to be rising rough sleeper figures we have in recent weeks increased capacity in our homeless accommodation services.

Threshold – the national housing charity -believe the results of the count are a manifestation of pressures in the private rented sector.

Threshold’s Chairperson, Senator Aideen Hayden, said the situation was comparable to the late-1990’s when people were moving from the private rented sector into homelessness at a high rate.

“In November alone, Threshold made over 500 interventions on behalf of people who had complex-housing problems in areas of rent arrears, threats of eviction, invalid notice and difficulty finding accommodation,

? she said.

“Unlike those with mortgages or those in social housing, renters are always just weeks away from homelessness if they fall on hard times.