‘Homelessness Has Become A Business… And Socially Acceptable’

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Anthony Flynn, of Inner City Helping Homeless, and new figures from the Department of Housing

Last night.

Just before the Fine Gael leadership debate in the Red Cow Inn, Dublin.

During which contender and Minister for Housing Simon Coveney said the party needs to represent both “the man in a sleeping bag on Grafton Street tonight as well as the man creating 1,000 jobs”.

The latest homelessness report, for the week April 24-April 30, 2017 from the Department of Housing was released, showing that the number of people who are homeless has reached a new record high of 7,6804972 adults and 2,708 children.

The figure surpassed 7,000 for the first time ever in December 2016.

Further to this…

Last night.

Anthony Flynn, of Inner City Helping Homeless, wrote:

The last number of days have been fairly chaotic when it comes to homelessness. Tuesday in particular, we saw the highest ever recorded number of rough sleepers and a drastic situation of no hotel/B&B accommodation for 12 families.

This led to a frenzy of supports required to be put in place and services increased to cope with demand. A number of families were referred to Garda stations as there was nowhere else to go. One such family had to be accommodated within our offices until supports could be put in place Wednesday morning. Some of those that were affected slept in tents others in cars.

How did we come to this situation?

A lack of short to medium-term planning is the best answer I can give. A complete lack of inter-agency communication and a lack of will from the powers-that-be. The eye has been taken off the ball in regard to homelessness and the long-term planning aspect has left short-term problems. Homelessness has become a crisis right across the State but hasn’t been treated as such. Our volunteers deal with thousands of individuals weekly, many of whom have become lost in a system of ‘no hope’.

I have spent the last four years in a voluntary position within Inner City Helping Homeless; I have met an abundance of people, from homeless to colleagues. I have made some great friends and am privileged to lead an organisation that shows empathy, compassion and is made up of decent human beings.

This week however, I can say that it has been the worst week I have seen within the homeless sector. Up to 30 children refused accommodation, whilst those who are charged with solving our homeless crisis enjoy their evening off.

Families sent from pillar to post in order to be left with no hope, no accommodation and no home. Homeless has become an epidemic, a plague that has spread so wide across our city and state.

Homelessness has become a business, a sector, it cost in excess of €100million a year to operate. To some that means profit, which in turn means that homelessness will remain.
This however should not take away from our responsibilities, people are suffering.

Children are being now left on the streets, a prediction that Father Peter McVerry made only a year ago. Homelessness has become socially acceptable. It has become tolerable to pass somebody by in a doorway, it has become bearable to leave families stuck in hotels, and now, this week, it has become justifiable to leave children without a bed.

Inner City Helping Homeless

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25 thoughts on “‘Homelessness Has Become A Business… And Socially Acceptable’

  1. Increasing Displacement

    One of our potential leaders does nothing about this issue…
    The other would probably classify these people as spongers

    It doesn’t look good for the homeless

  2. Zuppy International

    Homelessness epidemic cause by an Oireachtas stuffed with landlords.

    The true Blueshirt legacy.

    Dame Edna must be so proud.

    Anyone for a homelessness tax?

  3. Ron

    Exactly when is it the right time for mass demonstrations and protest on the street until we demand they go.. Seriously, when will we finally say enough is enough

    1. Kolmo

      It’s only the growing cluster utterly powerless that are affected, the anger has been ground out of them, the rest of us are in increasingly insecure employment, rushing around like headless chickens trying to stay afloat, getting ripped-off at every turn, as someone said during the week – we are too preoccupied by our precariousness to keep an eye on the c-units and that is how they like it, afraid and complient, examples are made of those sticking their head above the parapet, and that is why there are no mass protests, a fear based apathy. Every fuppin day there is a new depth reached of absolute callous disregard for the common good, there is no pride in having a position of responsibilty, whether a Garda, head of the Central bank or CEO of a charity, just take what i can get mentality and fupp everyone else – barbaric, low-down scruffy peasant mentality…a beautiful country but a very aggravating kip to be a citizen.

        1. Sheik Yahbouti

          So, Clampers? I concede that there are worse pooholes. Does that mean we shouldn’t try to at least improve our own particular plopholes? That is a counsel of despair. “be grateful, others have worse” – that’s the shining vision you offer?

          1. Increasing Displacement

            I hate that reasoning. Oul lad used to use it on me.
            Be thankful for what you have dog-genitalia.

        2. MoyestWithExcitement

          Taking criticism of severe societal problems as personal insults; your journey is complete. Your body length pillow with a Japenese cartoon woman on it is currently winging its way to you in the post to mark this momentous occasion.

          1. Sheik Yahbouti

            Thanks Moyest. Don’t know what I did to deserve it – but grateful for the recognition.

          2. MoyestWithExcitement

            That was for Clamps. But you can have one of those pillows as well. You just need to delude yourself into thinking you are the centre of the universe and problems that have nothing to do with you are in fact part of a global conspiracy designed to enslave you.

        1. mildred st. meadowlark

          Nice to see you commenting clamps. Hope all is well with you m’dear :)

  4. wearnicehats

    How are these figures calculated? Homelessdublin has 4000 people classed as homeless at the end of 2016. You can go to other sites and get different numbers. I seem to remember something about families who are having to live with their relatives being classed as homeless. Just curious as we’d have been classed as a homeless family for 2 years in that case.

  5. Diddy

    There is no purchase for the lowest quartile in the socio economic spectrum. Architects and layers are living in tarted up council houses in drimnagh and donnycarney ffs. Houses the pewer used to live in.

    If under this system everyone’s living standards are going down a rung, the poor are squeezed out the bottom like a big rotten neoliberal compost bin. This will only get worse

    1. edalicious

      A couple of doctors just bought a small two bed ex-council house across the road from me. I’d say there’s an element of people not wanting to overcommit to a house now with the prices flying up so fast and after what happened last time. No point in a childless young couple dropping over half a mill on a gaf that they won’t need for at least 5 years. The small two bed will do them till they have kids for a few years and the market might be in a better place by then.

    2. Sheik Yahbouti

      Little diddy, you are very clear sighted. Can someone like YOU run for office? Your Sheik would vote for you.

  6. Nigel

    I’m all for social and affordable housing and emergency accomodation but they’re really not the solution. They’re band-aids. It’s criminal that things have been let get this bad, both in the rental and the house markets. Stupid and callous and suicidally short-sighted.

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