Rise in number of homeless families in Louth region

The number of families reporting as homeless in the North East region, which comprises Louth, Monaghan and Cavan, rose last month to 35, including 69 children, according to figures released today by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

It is up from the 25 families with 44 children who accessed emergency accommodation in the North East in May. 18 of the families reporting as homeless in June were single parent families. 

The number of people reporting as homeless has also risen again, following the slight decrease reported last month. 165 adults accessed local authority managed emergency accommodation during the week of 19-25 June 2023 in the North East, with 144 of them in Louth, according to the Monthly Homelessness Report for June 2023. 

Of the 165, 28 were aged 18-24 years old; 86 aged 25-44; 43 aged 25-64. Eight were aged 65 and over, up from seven in May. 90 were male and 75 were female.

Nationally, 8,835 adults and 3,765 child dependents were recorded as homeless in June, giving a total of 12,600 homeless people in June, another record high.

Commenting on the latest figures, David Carroll, Depaul CEO said, “Today’s homelessness figures underline yet again the need for an emergency housing budget in Budget 2024. Although we remain hopeful that we can turn a corner, it doesn't appear that the number of people in temporary accommodation will  reduce in significant numbers anytime soon.

“Therefore the improvement in housing completions announced this week must translate into an increase in the amount of people exiting temporary accommodation. This must now be made a major priority. The increase in commencement notices offers some grounds for optimism, however, these will have an impact in the medium to long term.

"The private rented sector has virtually collapsed and to see any significant reduction in those entering and exiting temporary accommodation, investment in housing must be ramped up at a more rapid pace. Budget 2024 is an opportunity to raise housing supply targets and implement solutions in the interim to get people out of temporary accommodation and into homes as soon as possible.

"Depaul is advocating for increasing the social housing target to 12,000 units per annum, with an equitable allocation to those in long term homelessness. Approved housing bodies will continue to play a key role in the delivery of affordable housing and must be resourced and financed adequately to reflect their potential and the role they play in providing housing solutions.

"Any capital budget underspend must be carried forward in addition to new budget allocations and made available for these much needed housing projects.

“To help alleviate short term pressures on people in temporary accommodation, we would like to see the HSE investment in social care and health inclusion significantly increased to reflect the number of people utilising the 626 bed spaces we have available on any given night. Homelessness is closely linked to a decline in physical and mental health and this must be prioritised.

"It’s clear that going into the winter period that pressure will remain on temporary accommodation services and the recruitment and retention of staff is vital to continue this critical work. Budget 2024 needs to ensure that funding for charities providing services on behalf of the state for people who are homeless are increased to improve terms and conditions of staff.

"If immediate action is not taken to address the crisis in recruitment and retention across the NGO sector there are fears that services will not be able to be staffed adequately, resulting in an increase in rough sleeping.”