Homelessness Growing And Thousands Of Homes Left Empty

Dublin South West representative Seán Crowe TD has called for immediate action by the state to deal with the rising numbers of homeless people across Ireland. He made his comments in light of figures from Dublin City Council Central Placement Service which stated that over the four local authorities in Dublin eight new people are presenting as homeless every day. Crowe said it was an obscenity that people were homeless while thousands of properties were lying empty.

Deputy Seán Crowe said;

“These new figures illustrate the extent of the Homeless problem in the Dublin City area but the problem is not just in that area.

“That eight new people present as homeless every single day in Dublin is completely unacceptable but there are also  many thousands more, living in crowded, damp and dangerous conditions across Dublin and the State.

“Due to the financial crisis in the country, and because of the Government’s own austerity measures, it is clear for everyone to see that the homelessness situation in Ireland is getting worse.

“For many people at the moment, the only thing standing between them and homelessness is their next pay packet or social welfare contribution.

“Cuts to funding for housing support, health services, probation, welfare services, and education and training services, all have major knock-on effects that contribute to homelessness. Cuts to these vital supports are not only increasing the possibility of homelessness, but also prevents people from moving out of homelessness.

“Current funding levels for homelessness need to be maintained if not increased in the upcoming budget.

“Focus Ireland estimates that there are 5,000 homeless people in Ireland and 100,000 people are on various local housing waiting lists. Yet from CSO figures contained in the ‘Roof Over Our Heads’ Report, we know that there are over we have 230,000 vacant homes across the country.

“Taxpayers are being forced to subsidise Banks, the lifestyle of developers and speculators and NAMA is sitting on thousands of empty homes while individuals and families are homeless.

“This doesn’t make any financial or logical sense and is just morally wrong

“I am calling on the Government to take immediate action on tackling the homelessness problem in Ireland.

“They should begin by ending the obscenity of thousands of empty homes lying idle across the country while people are being forced to sleep rough or in unsafe hostel accommodation.”