Increase in number of homeless families in North East

27 families accessed local authority managed emergency accommodation in the North East in October, with 60 child dependants, according to the latest figures released last Friday by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.

While the number of families is up two from September, the number of child dependants is down one on the previous month. Of the 27 families, 15 are single parent families.

119 adults also accessed local authority managed emergency accommodation in the North East region in October. Of the 119 adults, 18 are aged 18-24; 68 are aged 25-44; 27 aged 45-64; and six are aged 65 and over. 

The latest figures for the North East, which comprises Louth, Monaghan and Cavan, show the number of homeless adults in the region is unchanged from September.

Nationally, 7,917 adults and 3,480 child dependants were reported as homeless in October, giving a total of 11,397 homeless people. It is up 422 on the 10,975 homeless figures reported in September.

Depaul, the charity supporting people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, has launched an urgent Homeless Crisis Christmas Appeal. David Carroll, Chief Executive of Depaul who launched the urgent public appeal says that there are now waiting lists for the charity’s accommodation services and services are inundated with calls from members of the public concerned about accessing food banks and other basic supports as the cost of living crisis continues.

“To be in a situation where we’re helping families and individuals source food from a food bank is not something we should be proud of as a society. A homeless shelter, a tent or a hotel is not somewhere that people should be spending Christmas.”

Mr. Carroll says that "a generation lost in homelessness’ has emerged as more care leavers are entering homelessness and more referrals are being made to their homeless services through  Tusla and Aftercare services. What we are seeing now is a generation lost in homelessness. People, especially young people leaving care, are entering the homeless system and becoming trapped. If we don’t take radical steps now, more damage will be done.

“Why should a young person coming out of care go into homeless accommodation? We need a planned approach to sustain the long term futures of care leavers and those leaving the youth justice system.Emergency accommodation shouldn’t be a natural stepping stone for people coming out of care or other institutional settings. 

"Depaul will play a key role in the delivery of the Youth Homlessness Strategy by having a specific focus on preventing young people from entering homlessness and if they do require temporary accommodation, supporting them to find long term accommodation as soon as possible.”

The charity says that there is a waiting list for their youth focused homeless service and that less people are moving on compared to this time last year because of a lack of available and affordable accommodation.

Mr Carroll said: “This year we have had 40% less move ons than last year and there is currently a waiting list for this particular accommodation service. Peter’s Place was originally set up as a temporary support accommodation centre for young people exiting homelessness but many are staying longer now because of a lack of accessible rental accommodation and social housing.”

“Preventative approaches have never been as important as homeless figures reach this new record. Day to day, we see the consequences of what happens if we don’t intervene early enough. The longer people are in homelessness, the more problems arise for them. If we have young people growing roots in homelessness, we are creating more problems.”

“On top of this, there is an unrecorded number of people currently experiencing hidden homelessness this Christmas , yet to present to homeless services and unable to secure long-term accommodation.”

“Young people are being denied a decent start in life and, of all the age groups, they are the most vulnerable and least aware of their rights and responsibilities. Depaul believes young people deserve every chance  to achieve their potential and we remain committed to addressing this issue as we work  to end youth homelessness on a national scale, to give vulnerable young people a chance. 

People can donate to Depaul’s urgent Christmas Appeal at www.depaul.ie or by calling 01 4537111.