It is well known that the number of homeless people in Ireland has risen dramatically in recent years. According to data from the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage, there were 13,318 individuals living in State funded emergency accommodation in Ireland in the third week of December 2023.[1] This is an increase of 86% compared to the third week of December 2016.[2]
Historically, homelessness in Ireland was largely confined to Dublin. Over time the city’s local authorities and network of homelessness NGOs have developed resources and infrastructure to support those in need, including through co-ordination across local authorities through the Dublin Regional Homelessness Executive. However, homelessness is on the rise across all regions. There are notable disparities in access to homeless services in some areas, particularly areas which would not have experienced significant homelessness historically.
Figures of Individuals and Families Accessing Emergency Accommodation
Figures released by the Department of Housing in December 2023 show the number of people living in emergency accommodation in the Dublin region has increased by 86% over the same period.
What emerges from these figures is that the number of persons residing in emergency accommodation in also rising drastically in other regions. Five regions increased at rates greater than Dublin over the same period – there has been a 414% increase in the North-West, a 180% increase in the Midlands, a 157% increase in the West. The South-West saw an increase of 102% and the Mid-East increased by 97%. In other areas numbers have increased at a lesser rate than in Dublin but still at significant rates, particularly considering the historically low rates of homelessness in these areas. Only one region has reported a decrease in homelessness, with the South-East reporting a 1% drop since 2016.
These figures are reflected in our work at the Mercy Law Resource Centre with a sharp increase in the number of homeless individuals outside of Dublin contacting us for legal assistance. Our work with clients outside Dublin has revealed that some regional local authorities have limited infrastructure for dealing with homeless presentations and in some cases simply have no emergency accommodation available at all.
Imbalance of Infrastructure and Supports
The consequence of historically low levels of homelessness in rural areas is that some of these local authorities have less experience of dealing with people experiencing homelessness and, resultingly, have limited or even no dedicated infrastructure in place to respond to this crisis. The growing need for homeless supports in these regions must be urgently addressed by Government and by local authorities. Measures could include providing structured routes to accessing homeless assessments, more dedicated emergency accommodation beds and transitional accommodation options, and increasing the stock of social housing generally.
The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage does not publish the number of emergency accommodation beds that are available generally, or the number of people who have sought access to a bed but been refused. The figures released relate only to the number of individuals currently accessing such accommodation. This means that it is not possible to assess how many people have sought access to emergency accommodation but been refused due to lack of availability. In October 2023, a newspaper report in the Dundalk Democrat[3] revealed that in under two-years, 652 people were recognised by Louth County Council as being homeless but were not provided with emergency accommodation, of which 328 were because of “no bed available”. While such data is not publicly available for other countries, our experience suggests that this is not an issue limited to County Louth and that the number of emergency accommodation beds has not kept pace with the increase in the number of individuals and families entering homelessness country-wide.
Data accessed in March 2023 revealed that more than half of local authorities in the country had no capacity available to new entrants in emergency homeless accommodation that month.[4] Cavan, Clare, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Fingal, Galway, Leitrim, Longford, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Sligo, South Dublin, Westmeath and Wicklow County Councils had no capacity. Dublin and Galway City Councils also had no capacity, with the capital sending homeless people to Kildare and Meath to be accommodated that month. Limerick City and County Council were operating a waiting list for emergency beds. Several other local authorities indicated they were extremely low on bedspaces, including Cork County Council, Kilkenny County Council, Louth County Council and Tipperary County Council.[5]
Hidden Homelessness
Based on this data, and the numbers presenting to our service, it is clear the increase in the supply of emergency accommodation beds over the past few years has been insufficient to meet the growing homelessness crisis. Our office has engaged with large numbers of individuals and families who are “hidden homeless”, meaning they are homeless but are not counted in official figures. This includes those sleeping rough, couch-surfing among friends and relatives, individuals housed in domestic violence shelters and individuals living in severely overcrowded or inappropriate accommodation.
B&B and Hotel Accommodation
The shortage of dedicated and supported emergency accommodation, particularly in rural local authority areas, has seen local authorities relying on private sector providers through funding of hotel and B&B stays for people experiencing homelessness. The provision of these alternative emergency accommodation measures has increased rapidly; in December 2023, there were 5,935 private temporary accommodation beds (B&B or hotel accommodation provided on an emergency basis) in use in Ireland[6],a 162% increase since December 2016.[7]
Disparity Across Council Areas
There are varying levels of knowledge among local authority staff on the statutory duties of local authorities to support homeless individuals. Our office is unaware of any standardised training program provided to relevant local authority staff on homelessness supports or statutory duties.
In order for individuals or families to access emergency homeless supports, they must first be registered as homeless by their local authority. This is a binding legal duty on all local authorities. However, Mercy Law are aware of a number of individuals and families who have faced serious obstacles in accessing “homeless assessments”. Barriers that arise include local authorities without any defined procedure to obtain an assessment; local authorities which only provide assessments for short windows on limited days in a week; and local authorities who refuse to conduct assessments where they believe the person has a connection to another county even if there are good reasons for their seeking support where they have presented. Even where assessments are conducted, some local authorities appear unaware of their legal duties under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988 to provide assistance to an individual or family once they have been assessed and classified as homeless. As noted above, even when these hurdles can be met a person may still end up without supports if the local authority has no beds available and is unwilling to make efforts to secure additional beds.
Conclusion
As the housing and homelessness crisis continues to deepen, the number of people experiencing homelessness in rural areas appears set to continue to increase. Further preventative measures are required to tackle the root causes of homelessness.
However, until the housing crisis is addressed it is critical that the supply of dedicated, supported emergency accommodation is increased, particularly outside large urban centres. Regional local authorities must be resourced to be fully responsive to the needs of people entering homelessness so that access to these vital services does not depend on location.
Adam Boyle
With contribution from Áine Hennessy
[1] Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage, Monthly Homeless Figures: December 2023, available at: https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/281942/146564ab-10ff-425d-8e3b-988097cfb8cb.pdf#page=null
[2] As compared to 2016 figures retrieved from Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Monthly Homeless Figures: December 2016, available at: https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/109479/7fd95a7a-32c3-4d1b-8bcf-8d58eed6cfdf.pdf#page=null
[3] Donard McCabe, ‘652 homeless people in Louth not provided with emergency accommodation’ (The Dundalk Democrat, 21 October 2023) <https://www.dundalkdemocrat.ie/news/home/1328248/652-homeless-people-in-louth-not-provided-with-emergency-accommodation.html> accessed 8 February 2024
[4] Jack Horgan-Jones, ‘Over half of local authorities have no capacity in emergency homeless accommodation, Sinn Féin says’ (The Irish Times, 15 March 2023) <https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2023/03/15/tanaiste-completely-out-of-touch-for-suggesting-housing-market-is-turning-corner-sinn-fein-says/> accessed 8 February 2024
[5] Jack Horgan-Jones, ‘Over half of local authorities have no capacity in emergency homeless accommodation, Sinn Féin says’ (The Irish Times, 15 March 2023) <https://www.irishtimes.com/politics/2023/03/15/tanaiste-completely-out-of-touch-for-suggesting-housing-market-is-turning-corner-sinn-fein-says/> accessed 8 February 2024
[6] Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage, Monthly Homeless Figures: December 2023, available at: https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/281942/146564ab-10ff-425d-8e3b-988097cfb8cb.pdf#page=null
[7] As compared to 2016 figures retrieved from Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, Monthly Homeless Figures: December 2016, available at: https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/109479/7fd95a7a-32c3-4d1b-8bcf-8d58eed6cfdf.pdf#page=null
