Irish homelessness figures have reached another record high

They overtook the previous record from October 2019.

The number of homeless people in Ireland in July was 10,568, a new record high for the State. This is an increase on June's figure of 10,492, as well as the previous record for the country of 10,514 in October 2019. According to data released on the Government website on Friday (26 August), 7,431 adults accessed emergency accommodation in the last week of July, as well as 3,137 children. The majority of homeless people in July were located in Dublin, with the capital recording a figure of 7,548. After the release of the data, Sinn Féin Housing Spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin issued a statement in which he said policies pursued by Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien and the Government were directly responsible for the record levels of homelessness. He also stated that since April 2021, when the Minister ended the Covid-19 ban on evictions, child homelessness has increased by 43%, family homelessness by 30% and single person homelessness by 13%. https://twitter.com/EOBroin/status/1563153898529263617 ”Of course, these figures do not include all those homeless households. They do not include the hundreds of women and children in Tusla-funded domestic violence refuges," Ó Broin added. "They do not include the several hundred adults and children in hostels not funded by the state. And they do not include over 3,000 adults and children with Leave to Remain trapped in Direct Provision using it as emergency accommodation." Ó Broin called on the Housing Minister to make a statement on Friday outlining what emergency measures he intends to take to halt the "relentless rise in homelessness". ”Any emergency package must include an emergency ban on evictions into homelessness; an obligation on Councils to put in place a homeless prevention plan for all households with notices to quit; an expansion of the tenant in situ scheme where Councils buy rental properties with HAP, RAS or Rent Supplement tenants in situ with evictions notices; and crucially an expansion and acceleration of the social housing programme," he added. “Darragh O’Brien has been Minister for Housing for two years. The housing crisis has never been worse. "Homelessness is rising, so too are house prices and rents. Meanwhile, social and affordable housing output is way behind target. "We urgently need a change of housing policy and that will only come with a change of Government.”