A homeless person sleeping on the boardwalk in Dublin city
Kitty Holland, in the Irish Times, reports:
“The number of people sleeping rough in Dublin has fallen by almost 40 per cent since the winter. The results of the annual “spring count” of rough sleepers published by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive shows 105 adults were found sleeping on the streets on the night of April 14th. This compares to 168 in the winter count conducted on November 21st. However, the number of homeless adults in emergency accommodation increased by more than 300, up from 1,526 in November to 1,872 this month. This figure does not include the almost 1,000 children in emergency hotel-type accommodation in Dublin.”
Numbers sleeping rough in Dublin down by almost 40% (Kitty Holland, Irish Times)
Graham Hughes/Photocall Ireland
That and Focus Ireland have said that almost 17 families a month are coming into them. This is as a direct result of austerity. Greece experienced something similar
it’s not a direct result of austerity fluffy, the bulk of most new homeless presentations are due to notice to quit for rent arrears or landlords hiking up rents. if there’s one thing austerity has shown us it’s that the few still get richer and rest of us pay through the fukn nose for less.
I’d argue that rising rents is a result of people being unable to afford to buy homes, thus flooding the market… which, along with nervous banks refusing credit, is a result of austerity. The landlords exploiting the situation to line their pockets is just a nasty by-product of the situation!
true enough, but you could drive yourself nuts tracing back causes and effects. either way, while it’s good the rough sleeping numbers are down, it’s still too high.
Nah scottser the rising rents as a result of lack of social housing, cuts to welfare etc. ahve all contributed. Peter Mc Verry and Focus Ireland agree on this
+ 4 o’donnells
PMVT and focus have their funding streams to think of fluffy. and yes, those things are contributory factors in homelessness. however, we had roughly the same numbers in services at the height of the boom. as regards the social housing issue, there is a directive now to allocate 50% of the housing stock to homeless persons. and yep you are correct in that there is still not enough social housing fit for purpose.
That is 50% in Dublin and 30% in other areas
That’s a very misleading headline from the Irish Times
Perhaps Rosita Boland can bed down with them and give us an inside report.