More people seek emergency accommodation in Offaly homeless surge

A SURGE in homelessness has pushed the numbers of people in temporary accommodation in Offaly up towards levels not seen since the middle of 2019.

According to the latest figures from the Department of Housing there were 47 adults accessing emergency beds from the local authority in Offaly at the end of November.

The number in October was the same and the monthly figure for September 2022 was 50, an all-time high in the county for the calendar year.

That is double the number for January 2022 while a year before that, the combined figure for both Offaly and Laois was 32.

The highest number of adults accessing the emergency accommodation in Offaly in any month in 2020 was 34, a year of lower figures.

The peak period was in the first half of 2019 when the Offaly figures were always above 50, rising to 59 in June of that year.

The data released by the Department of Housing captures details of individuals in State-funded emergency accommodation, arrangements that are overseen by local authorities.

The combined figures for the four Midland counties (Offaly, Westmeath, Offaly and Laois) reflect the Offaly trend, with 144 adults in emergency accommodation managed by the councils at the end of November.

Along with 47 in Offaly, there were 53 in Westmeath, 23 in Laois and 21 in Longford.

The bulk of the 144 were said to be in private emergency accommodation, such as hotels, bed and breakfasts and other residential facilities, where they were getting visits from support agencies.

Another 36 were in other temporary emergency accommodation with minimal or no support and two people were listed as being in “other accommodation”.

The vast majority of those being accommodated – 111 people – were described as Irish, 18 were either from countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the UK and 15 were from non-EEA countries.

Included in the total are 41 families with 51 adults and 72 children.

Nationally, the figure has reached 11,500, surpassing the peak of mid-2019.

The Peter McVerry Trust and Focus Ireland point out that the statistics do not including rough sleepers or homeless people staying with family or friends temporarily.