Homelessness on the rise

Claw Hammer

Deleted User wrote: »

Even if you bought your own property there’s no guarantee that there aren’t undesirables living next to you. Changing schools isn’t a big deal either. Kids are adaptable and will settle probably quicker than their parents. Those of us who live in remote areas have no problem transporting our kids to school. People need stop looking at the negatives and think positive. “Yes, we can”

If you buy your own property there is an opportunity to check out the neighbourhood before buying. Drug dealers and other low lifes don't operate in private housing to the same extent as they do in council developments. Changing schools can be a very big deal in a city. Schools can be oversubscribed in the local area and may refuse to admit the children, leaving no option but to travel back to the original school. many people on housing waiting lists do not have their own transport and public transport may not suit. People in remote country areas tend to have their own transport and co-operate with neighbours, whose children will be going to the same school. Not possible in a city where the neighbours children will be going to the local school.

LirW

But in fairness, Dublin has 4 local authorities, so if you're going on the list in Fingal you won't end up somewhere in SDCC.

Slydice

488 Children in February.


The February figures have been released:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/homelessness_report_-_february_2018_0.pdf

Homelessness is on the rise. I've updated the two charts based on the totals they give.

Homelessness (Adults)


Family Homelessness


The latest report does not have commentary where previous reports did. They used to include:

The long term solution to the current homeless issue is to increase the supply of homes

or:

The root cause of increased homelessness is the supply shortage across the housing sector, which in turn is a result of the recent economic collapse and the associated damage to the construction sector. Accordingly the long-term solution to the current homeless issue is to increase the supply of homes.

Coverage of this report:
Campaigners 'lose all confidence in government' as number of homeless children skyrockets
https://www.thejournal.ie/homeless-children-figures-3928900-Mar2018/

In a statement, campaigners Sister Stanislaus Kennedy and Father Peter McVerry said that they have “lost all confidence in the commitment and ability of this government to solve the housing and homelessness crisis”.

and

Focus Ireland CEO Pat Dennigan, meanwhile, described the increase as “shocking” and “unacceptable”.

1,739 homeless families recorded in February
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2018/0328/950712-homeless/

Following on from another increase in January this means there were a total of 1,739 families in emergency accommodation, including 3,755 children. The year-on-year increase is 40%.

Almost 10,000 people now homeless, new figures show
Increase in homeless children up by almost 500 between January and February
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/almost-10-000-people-now-homeless-new-figures-show-1.3443383

The increase in the number of homeless children, by almost 500, between January and February, is largest monthly increase since current data gathering began, in mid-2014. The figures have been described as “shocking”, “unacceptable” and indicative of a crisis “spiralling out of control”.

Tweets:
https://twitter.com/ICHHDUBLIN/status/979055419019669504
https://twitter.com/FocusIreland/status/979020075297640449
https://twitter.com/PMVTrust/status/979014828529520640


Other recent media on homelessness and supply shortage in Ireland:
Coldest week in years leads to concerns for rough sleepers
https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/coldest-week-in-years-leads-to-concerns-for-rough-sleepers-467632.html



David McWilliams: Dublin is squeezing out low-income workers
https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/david-mcwilliams-dublin-is-squeezing-out-low-income-workers-1.3437865



93% Of All Rental Properties Were Above Rent Supplement/HAP Limits
http://www.broadsheet.ie/2018/03/13/93-of-all-rental-properties-were-above-rent-supplement-hap-limits/

There were fewer than 3,150 properties available to rent nationwide on February 1st, down over 20% on the same date a year ago and the lowest recorded for this time of year.

and

Ninety-three percent (493 properties) of all properties available to rent were above Rent Supplement/Housing Assistance Payment limits, this figure was 91.5% in November 2017, and 88% in March 2017.

Just 7% of all properties available to rent (39 properties) were available within the limits for the four categories included in this study, dropping from 8.5% (46 properties) in the November 2017 study, and 12% (72 properties) in the March 2017 study.

House prices to soar for at least two years
https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/business/house-prices-to-soar-for-at-least-two-years-834596.html

Rising house prices with no end in sight will lead to buyers being priced out of the market, according to experts.

If homelessness disappeared in the morning, charities would have no reason to exist. It’s in their interest to keep it in the public domain. No doubt there are genuine cases on the streets, but those living in hotels or in their parents spare rooms aren’t really homeless.

Tony EH

Deleted User wrote: »

If homelessness disappeared in the morning, charities would have no reason to exist. It’s in their interest to keep it in the public domain. No doubt there are genuine cases on the streets, but those living in hotels or in their parents spare rooms aren’t really homeless.

Sure it's all a hoax.

Spoken like someone for whom homelessness is not an issue, therefore it is not one for anyone else.

NIMAN

Once it hits 10k, we will be inundated with TV specials and Miriam shaking her hair about.

Topgear on Dave

NIMAN wrote: »

Once it hits 10k, we will be inundated with TV specials and Miriam shaking her hair about.

I see some left wing commentators on twitter. Im not sure if they are sorry about it or gleeful with excitement at it hitting 10k.

NIMAN

The latter.

NIMAN

NIMAN wrote: »

Once it hits 10k, we will be inundated with TV specials and Miriam shaking her hair about.

Not to worry. She’ll put them all up on the Aras.

Graces7

Deleted User wrote: »

If homelessness disappeared in the morning, charities would have no reason to exist. It’s in their interest to keep it in the public domain. No doubt there are genuine cases on the streets, but those living in hotels or in their parents spare rooms aren’t really homeless.

Thank you for this reality and sense.

Other countries laugh at Ireland for this definition of so called homelessness. They have a roof over their heads, beds, heating. Many pensioners have less than they have ..

Graces7

Tony EH wrote: »

Sure it's all a hoax.

Spoken like someone for whom homelessness is not an issue, therefore it is not one for anyone else.

No not a hoax but ? And homelessness has been an issue for me. A narrow escape from living in my car. Would have loved a hotel room..

Villa05

Deleted User wrote:

If homelessness disappeared in the morning, charities would have no reason to exist. It’s in their interest to keep it in the public domain. No doubt there are genuine cases on the streets, but those living in hotels or in their parents spare rooms aren’t really homeless.

Interesting news management releasing these figures yesterday. It's like nothing happened yesterday except a rape trial verdict and a date for an abortion referendum

CruelCoin

I was at a charity dinner a year ago and I got sat at a table with a fundraising chief from one of these housing charities.

I posed a question to her: "if we agree that less homelessness is a good thing, then we can agree that the more houses you can buy with the money the charity raises the better. Why then are you buying primarily in the city-centre and other prime locations?"
She just gave me this triggered red-head face and huffed at me.

I hate to be one of those "ship 'em to Leitrim" lads, but seriously, that figure of 6052 would be a lot smaller if the charities/agencies stopped fluting away the money to low effect.

Claw Hammer

Claw Hammer wrote: »

If you buy your own property there is an opportunity to check out the neighbourhood before buying.

Buying your own property gives you the right and the opportunity to decide where you live, who your neighbours are and how close you are to a school.

When taxpayers are are paying to house you the you give up these rights. You simply can't expect to pick and choose where you live when you aren't paying for it yourself.

The moving schools is a nonsense argument too, loads of people have to move around for work or because they can't afford to rent/buy where they are currently living so children have to move school or commute to school and they just get on with it.

Red_Wake

Solving homelessness, and giving the homeless a choice of where to live are fundamentally incompatible goals.

Michael D Not Higgins

Graces7 wrote: »

[/B]

Thank you for this reality and sense.

Other countries laugh at Ireland for this definition of so called homelessness. They have a roof over their heads, beds, heating. Many pensioners have less than they have ..

Ireland doesn't define homelessness. Homelessness takes in those in emergency accommodation, etc. because that aligns it with the international definition from the UN.

Sure there aren't 10,000 people sleeping in the streets but that's not what the reported figure means. It is a figure for which the government have a duty to house these people under the laws of the land and using the definitions aligned internationally.

For that case, it is still a striking figure, even if 90% of them do actually have a roof over their head.

mike_2009

I don't believe so. In any normalized rental based economy there should be sufficient space and availability in all areas of a city. Now the price of that accommodation may be prohibitive and the local authorities may rightly decide that unless they own the property, it's not worth the excessive rent as they could house two families for the same money elsewhere. That has to be balanced against putting all their tenants into the same small areas and creating other social issues.

Michael D Not Higgins

mike_2009 wrote: »

I don't believe so. In any normalized rental based economy there should be sufficient space and availability in all areas of a city. Now the price of that accommodation may be prohibitive and the local authorities may rightly decide that unless they own the property, it's not worth the excessive rent as they could house two families for the same money elsewhere. That has to be balanced against putting all their tenants into the same small areas and creating other social issues.

Even if they were of the opinion or means to house everyone privately at any cost, there still isn't enough available rental stock on the market to support the entire homeless number.

mike_2009

Well, we're certainly not in a normalized economy so I agree with you there.

Graces7

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

Even if they were of the opinion or means to house everyone privately at any cost, there still isn't enough available rental stock on the market to support the entire homeless number.

And it is going down monthly still.

zell12

Taoiseach declares homeless & housing crisis a national emergency
What does this mean in FG-speak?

Decades of folks gaming the system is coming home to roost coupled with loads of wasters.

mike_2009

in FG speak, we're on top of the problem! It will be looked at in the next couple of months.
In reality, same game different headline.
Looking forward to the march on April 7th to see what the issue looks like vs support from Irish Public.....

The Student

Graces7 wrote: »

And it is going down monthly still.

And why is that? Because of the anti landlord stance the govt has adopted. Expect the supply to continue contracting.

Graces7

The Student wrote: »

And why is that? Because of the anti landlord stance the govt has adopted. Expect the supply to continue contracting.

disagree. The landlords needed standing up to. Not anti landlord, but pro tenant

Topgear on Dave

Graces7 wrote: »

disagree. The landlords needed standing up to. Not anti landlord, but pro tenant

Im really not sure what good all he calls to crack down on landlords are doing. The problem is shortage of rentals.

If we want more accomodation available we need either:
(a) people to have the confidence to invest in housing construction to rent it out (how does kicking the landlords help this)
(b) The government to build very large amounts of social housing (somebody please indicate what area of government spending should be cut back to fund ths)

Topgear on Dave

mike_2009 wrote: »

in FG speak, we're on top of the problem! It will be looked at in the next couple of months.
In reality, same game different headline.
Looking forward to the march on April 7th to see what the issue looks like vs support from Irish Public.....

I expect it will be the usual groups of left wing politicians I see on twitter loudly saying that "something must be done" while also wanting someone else to do it.

They want it to be as big as the water protests but lets face it the water bill hit nearly everybody, almost every household in the land.... whereas with homelessness Id reckon 98% of the country is quite happily housed.

Hitman3000

Topgear on Dave wrote:

I expect it will be the usual groups of left wing politicians I see on twitter loudly saying that "something must be done" while also wanting someone else to do it.

Is it unreasonable to expect the well paid members of government to deal with the issue seeing as they have the power and resources to do so instead of constantly seeking to blame the opposition for the government's failings?

mike_2009

(b) The government to build very large amounts of social housing (somebody please indicate what area of government spending should be cut back to fund ths)[/QUOTE]

Do what they should have done in 2008/2009 and borrow heavily to fund public investment in housing and infrastructure to cushion the country from the worst of the recession. They'd have had to stand up to the EU however as they would be in breach of EU rules even though France and Germany have breached them before and been ignored/overlooked.

emo72

mike_2009 wrote: »

Do what they should have done in 2008/2009 and borrow heavily to fund public investment in housing and infrastructure to cushion the country from the worst of the recession. They'd have had to stand up to the EU however as they would be in breach of EU rules even though France and Germany have breached them before and been ignored/overlooked.

this is what i cant understand. why cant they borrow? it is an emergency now. no problem borrowing billions when its to be paid to german banks.