Government Homeless Plans Not Delivering

Dublin South West TD Seán Crowe has described the November Homeless Figures as deeply worrying after the latest breakdown shows yet another significant increase in adult, child and family homelessness. Crowe said it was further evidence that the government’s lack of ambition and their tinkering around the edges the housing problem was not delivering for families.

Teachta Seán Crowe said:

“The Department of Housing published the November homeless report shows that for the month of November there were 6157 adults, 3811 children, and 1728 families in emergency accommodation. That’s a total of 9968 people.

“All categories are up on the previous figures. In November there were an additional 158 adults, 86 children, and 19 families in the official figures.

“The all too regular increases are deeply worrying and show once again that tinkering around the edges of the housing crisis will not resolve this emergency.

“These figures are also a significant underestimation as they exclude many homeless adults and children in accommodation funded by other Government departments or wrongly removed from the Department of Housing’s figures earlier this year.

“The true figure of adults and children sleeping rough or in emergency accommodation is now closer to 13,000 mark.

“We urgently need a new strategy for ending the homeless crisis backed up with increased resources and new policy measures to stop the flow of adults and children into emergency accommodation and a marked  reduction in the time those that do become homeless spend in emergency accommodation.

“We also need to address the overall shortages in housing supply, the escalating price of housing land, the lack of rental certainty that is leading more and more people into homelessness and the complete lack of housing affordability or schemes for those families and individuals who are actually working and paying a small fortune in rent every week.

“Surely any cursory look at these figures would once again highlight to even the most casual observer that the government and Housing Minister Eoin Murphy’s plans are not working. They are certainly not delivering for the growing army of homeless families and individuals on waiting lists throughout the State.

“ENDS