Homeless figures in North East continue to rise higher

Homeless figures in the North East region, which comprises Louth, Monaghan and Cavan, continue to rise according to the latest figures from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

148 adults accessed local authority managed emergency accommodation during the week of 19-25 December 2022, up from 139 in November and from 119 in October. Of the 148, 127 were in Louth and the remaining 21 were in Monaghan and Cavan.

31 families with 65 child dependants also accessed local authority managed emergency accommodation during the same period, up from 29 families in November. 17 of these were single parent families.

Of the 148 adults reported in December, 24 were aged 18-24; 83 were aged 25-44; 34 were aged 45-64 and seven were over 65 years of age. 

The monthly report also includes the citizenship of those who sought emergency accommodation. According to the report, 98 were Irish, 27 were EEA/UK citizens and 23 were Non-EEA citizens.

Nationally, 8,190 adults and 3,442 children were reported homeless in December's figures, giving a total of 11,632 people, up from 11,542 in December.

Commenting on the latest national figures, David Carroll, Chief Executive of Depaul, said: “Numbers in homelessness remain at worrying levels and targeted measures are needed to tackle the scale of the homelessness and housing crisis we are currently facing at this juncture.”

He continued, “A critical time is approaching and Depaul is calling for a short extension of the eviction ban to allow for breathing space to put specific plans in place to target tenancies subject to a notice to quit. Housing pressures are relentless and landlords  who have signaled a notice to quit must be targeted in an effort to keep property owners in the market or to sell them to housing bodies .”

“To see a meaningful reduction in homelessness, and to anticipate the rise in homelessness that may come about as a result of the eviction ban ending, housing allocations for 2023 should prioritise families currently experiencing long-term homelessness – temporary accommodation is not the solution.”

Mr Carroll added, “We are at a pivotal point at this time and there is a critical  need to accelerate the provision of emergency accommodation to accommodate IPAS applicants. The government has a responsibility to meet this basic humanitarian need. The capacity does not exist within the homeless sector to provide emergency accommodation for this group. “