Homelessness on the rise

mikemac2

Lady on Sean O'Rourke show explaining her case and she was one of the people who presented themselves to a garda station on Tuesday night. The gardai could do nothing for her, she spent the night in an office of a homeless coordinator

Very skeptical of the "family hubs", maybe she's right, she would know

Main issue was she could not imagine sharing toilet or cooking facilities with others, just hell no.

Is every person renting a room in a house share deprived so?

pilly

mikemac2 wrote:

Is every person renting a room in a house share deprived so?

Yes but people sharing houses generally don't have kids.

I'd have no problem sharing a bathroom but wouldn't like my kids when they were younger to be sharing with someone who might be dodgy.

What happens if a child is molested in one of these "family hubs". They're basically going to be hostels for families and kids shouldn't have to live in danger like that.

4ensic15

pilly wrote: »

Yes but people sharing houses generally don't have kids.

I'd have no problem sharing a bathroom but wouldn't like my kids when they were younger to be sharing with someone who might be dodgy.

What happens if a child is molested in one of these "family hubs". They're basically going to be hostels for families and kids shouldn't have to live in danger like that.

What did people do in tenements years ago, when there were no bathrooms at all?

The_Conductor

4ensic15 wrote: »

What did people do in tenements years ago, when there were no bathrooms at all?

I think the point is- we were all deprived back then- without exception.
Progress has many different names........

dar100

The_Conductor wrote: »

2,000 rejections of social housing- and there was a list of reasons given- including one particular gem that had me burst out laughing- the prospective tenant feared they'd get seasick, because the property had a sea view.........

17,800 HAP offers rejected- variety of reasons- including, but not limited to people terrified they would loose their 'opportunity to get a forever home, because I'm entitled to it like' (and no, this quote is not from Erica Flemming).

Affordable Housing scheme- officially and finally stood down in 2016- as per the court case against a claw back on the discounted purchase prices.

2,682 Local authority housing units repossessed between 2014 and 2016- predominantly for antisocial behaviour or illegal activities (a few gems in the list- a couple of enterprising people had grow-houses which were detected by thermal imaging on the Garda helicopter, a few more were engaged in the world's oldest profession- and there was a bizarre and meandering list of other misdemeanors).

Also- we now have 73,000 households who are statistically 'in severe mortgage distress' and at risk of becoming homeless at any given time. Of this 73,000- over 40,000 have not made a mortgage payment in over a year.

So- there are a variety of reasons out there- and even our worsening homeless figures hide a myriad of associated issues- predominantly the fact that our lenders have been told hands off non-performing mortgages- AIB in particular is being hamstrung by this one. The government do not need another 40k homeless households overnight- its more palatable to keep our banks as basket cases.

The homeless problems- are getting worse- but are being artificially massaged so as not to show the true extent of the issues...........

By the way- of the 22 families who slept on the floor of Garda stations (figures from the AGSI) on Tuesday night of this week- all but 5 were non-nationals, and 14 of the 22 families had been in the country for less than 10 days. I'm not sure what exactly this means or depicts- but we seem to be attracting people to the country- who don't have accommodation, and don't have the means of providing accommodation for themselves.

Do you happen to have any link to view the court ruling on the case of the claw back on affordable housing?

The_Conductor

dar100 wrote: »

Do you happen to have any link to view the court ruling on the case of the claw back on affordable housing?

It was the same judge as in the 2009 case (Judge Jacqueline Linnane) will try and find it for you later- am out and about at the moment.

dar100

The_Conductor wrote: »

It was the same judge as in the 2009 case (Judge Jacqueline Linnane) will try and find it for you later- am out and about at the moment.

Cheers, if you could even manage a synopsis yourself it would be great

Bushmanpm

@ jamesthepeach

jamesthepeach wrote:

I have some rental properties I'm going to flog. PM and you can buy them off me and then give them to whoever you like. The risk Vs reward is out the window now and I don't see it getting any better. But maybe you can make a go of it where I can't.

Any PM in response yet?

jamesthepeach

Bushmanpm wrote: »

@ jamesthepeach


Any PM in response yet?

No takers yet

Bushmanpm

jamesthepeach wrote:

No takers yet

Shocked I tell you, SHOCKED!

robp

pilly wrote: »

Yes but people sharing houses generally don't have kids.

I'd have no problem sharing a bathroom but wouldn't like my kids when they were younger to be sharing with someone who might be dodgy.

What happens if a child is molested in one of these "family hubs". They're basically going to be hostels for families and kids shouldn't have to live in danger like that.

It is only a temporary measure and a lot better than hostels. The people living there are very controlled unlike a hostel. Growing up in shared accommodation is very common in other countries.

pilly

4ensic15 wrote:

What did people do in tenements years ago, when there were no bathrooms at all?

So we should go backwards?

antoinolachtnai

You have to decide whether you think housing is an emergency or not. If it is an emergency, you are going to have some compromises on quality to deal with the emergency.

Gatling

I wonder if the government withdrew from providing financial costs paying hotel and b&b accommodation for homesless people ) families would the current figures for homelessness​ fall significantly​ ,
ie leave it up to the people who wish to live in a hotel room long term to pay for the accommodation as it stands we have several thousand people staying in hotel accommodation indefinitely free of any charges , meanwhile people are maintaining full time/part time employment and pay zero contribution to accommodation or utilities ,
As for people arriving here from other states to declare themselves homeless should be sent home

dar100

Gatling wrote: »

I wonder if the government withdrew from providing financial costs paying hotel and b&b accommodation for homesless people ) families would the current figures for homelessness​ fall significantly​ ,
ie leave it up to the people who wish to live in a hotel room long term to pay for the accommodation as it stands we have several thousand people staying in hotel accommodation indefinitely free of any charges , meanwhile people are maintaining full time/part time employment and pay zero contribution to accommodation or utilities ,
As for people arriving here from other states to declare themselves homeless should be sent home

Who chooses to stay in a hotel long term?

CatFromHue

The_Conductor wrote: »

By the way- of the 22 families who slept on the floor of Garda stations (figures from the AGSI) on Tuesday night of this week- all but 5 were non-nationals, and 14 of the 22 families had been in the country for less than 10 days. I'm not sure what exactly this means or depicts- but we seem to be attracting people to the country- who don't have accommodation, and don't have the means of providing accommodation for themselves.

Wow I didn't know that, where did you hear that?

EmoCourt

dar100 wrote: »

Who chooses to stay in a hotel long term?

Erica Fleming.

Slydice

The May figures have been released:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/homeless_report_-_may_2017.pdf

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

Homelessness (Adults)


Family Homelessness


In total, Adults + Dependents (e.g. children), the rise was from 7680 in April to 7699 in May.

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.

Same day as this:
Housing shortage causes €2,000 monthly price rise
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/housing-shortage-causes-2-000-monthly-price-rise-7qp7l8l2k

Pent-up demand and a chronic undersupply of new homes has led to house prices increasing by €2,000 per month over the past year, new data has shown.

Coverage of this report:
'We have lost our sense of outrage' says Peter McVerry as number of homeless children in Ireland revealed
http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/we-have-lost-our-sense-of-outrage-says-peter-mcverry-as-number-of-homeless-children-in-ireland-revealed-795832.html

Campaigner Peter McVerry said that there was public outrage when the number of homeless children first passed the 1,000 mark in 2015.

"Then in early 2016, the number of homeless children passed the 2,000 mark, and there wasn't a murmur," he said.

"We can't just become used to these homeless figures, and they no longer offend us. We have lost our sense of outrage.

"We are the 14th wealthiest country in the world - it is absolutely unacceptable that so many people and so many children should be homeless."

4ensic15

If the homeless problem is solved, a lot of hoteliers and landlords would become poorer and ireland would slip on the list of the world's wealthiest countries. You can't have your cake and eat it.

Kivaro

The_Conductor wrote: »

By the way- of the 22 families who slept on the floor of Garda stations (figures from the AGSI) on Tuesday night of this week- all but 5 were non-nationals, and 14 of the 22 families had been in the country for less than 10 days. I'm not sure what exactly this means or depicts- but we seem to be attracting people to the country- who don't have accommodation, and don't have the means of providing accommodation for themselves.

This tells a big story on the rise of homelessness in this country, but it's rarely mentioned in the media. And it is why the level of homelessness in Ireland will continue to rise, with the voices of the vested groups screaming for more tax-payer-funded social housing becoming even more louder. They are saying that the money currently being poured into the problem is not sufficient and the tax payer should fork out more money to accommodate the homeless; irrespective of the fact that the problem is greatly exasperated by new arrivals.

Graham

Kivaro wrote: »

This tells a big story on the rise of homelessness in this country, but it's rarely mentioned in the media. And it is why the level of homelessness in Ireland will continue to rise, with the voices of the vested groups screaming for more tax-payer-funded social housing becoming even more louder. They are saying that the money currently being poured into the problem is not sufficient and the tax payer should fork out more money to accommodate the homeless; irrespective of the fact that the problem is greatly exasperated by new arrivals.

On the other hand, the very limited statistic you're quoting could easily be seen the other way.

Despite 'new arrivals' representing a very small percentage of the population, they constitute a disproportionate number of homeless families.

utmbuilder

7.30 this evening not one quay had less than 2 couples sleeping on it, with gaurds going around every hour waking them up.

I reckon much rougher times ahead on landlords, as the government have no one else to take this mess out on.

I wouldnt be surprised what madness comes next out of leinster house.

Arcade_Tryer

4ensic15 wrote: »

If the homeless problem is solved, a lot of hoteliers and landlords would become poorer and ireland would slip on the list of the world's wealthiest countries. You can't have your cake and eat it.

Hence why the homeless problem is only really a problem for the homeless on a very micro level. Obviously the long term societal effects are not good, but as you say, many people are benefiting from the continuation of the problem.

Ireland does not have a housing crisis as so many people call it, but rather a housing situation, of which some people are suffering from, and others are benefiting from.

Arcade_Tryer

utmbuilder wrote: »

I reckon much rougher times ahead on landlords, as the government have no one else to take this mess out on.

Won't somebody please think of the landlords!

whisky_galore

Arcade_Tryer wrote: »

Ireland does not have a housing crisis as so many people call it, but rather a housing situation, of which some people are suffering from, and others are benefiting from.

'Situation'.
Just smacks of a euphemism like the recently coined 'Family hub'.

Do people have to start dying before something is upgraded to 'crisis'?

Tony EH

Some people would have the place like Calcutta and not care, so long as wasn't them.

Slydice

The June figures have been released:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/homeless_report_-_june_2017.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 has gotten commentary back. The very first line is now:

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

Previous reports included:

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:
'It's absolutely disgraceful': There are still over 2,800 children homeless in Ireland
https://www.thejournal.ie/homeless-figures-june-3531165-Aug2017/

THERE ARE OVER 2,800 children homeless in Ireland, latest figures show.

Charity ’disturbed’ as new figures show 2895 children recorded as homeless in June
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/charity-disturbed-as-new-figures-show-2895-children-recorded-as-homeless-in-june-800840.html

Reacting to the figures the charity, Barnardos, said they remain disturbed that the Government’s homelessness figures are continuing to rise.

“Each day in Barnardos services across Ireland we see the impact that homelessness is having on children. We watch the mental and emotional wellbeing of children deteriorate as their hopes of escaping homelessness fade.

Latest homelessness figures described as 'worrying' and 'disheartening'
http://www.newstalk.com/Latest-homelessness-figures-described-as-worrying-and-disheartening

Francis Doherty of the Peter McVerry Trust highlighted the youth homeless figures, observing: “The fact that 46.5% of people in homelessness are young people aged 24 or younger is very worrying.

Arcade_Tryer

whisky_galore wrote: »

'Situation'.
Just smacks of a euphemism like the recently coined 'Family hub'.

Do people have to start dying before something is upgraded to 'crisis'?

There is clearly a crisis for the people faced with eviction and living in hotels and on the street. And to a lesser extent those suffering the effects of the rental market. But by and large they are still a significant minority. For everyone else, there is merely a situation, and of which was already pointed out, many people are benefiting hugely from in terms of rents and increased house prices. Whatever about political will, there is little public will to solve the crisis/situation. It's simply not in people's interest; at least not short term. And most people only think short term sadly.

jimmycrackcorm

whisky_galore wrote:

Do people have to start dying before something is upgraded to 'crisis'?

Homelessness isn't a type of terminal cancer.

I don't see either how upgrading to a crisis suddenly magically provides lots of free 300k houses to hand out.

dzwx

"Specific initiatives promised in Rebuilding Ireland for ring-fenced housing and associated funding for 18-24 year olds has not yet materialised almost a year later."

Neither 25,000 new build homes per annum.

Wanderer78

dzwx wrote:

"Specific initiatives promised in Rebuilding Ireland for ring-fenced housing and associated funding for 18-24 year olds has not yet materialised almost a year later."

dzwx wrote:

Neither 25,000 new build homes per annum.

It's not gonna happen, none of it, we have decided 'the market knows best'! Yea right!

Browney7

Seems to be a real air of one person being a tragedy and thousands being a statistic about the reporting on increases in homelessness now.

Also, releasing the figures on a bank holiday Friday is a bit of a coincidence surely?

jamesthepeach

Was reading the journal today and there was an article about a reit which has asked everyone to leave because they are renovating.

Slydice

The July figures have been released:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/homeless_report_-_july_2017.pdf

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

Homelessness (Adults)


Family Homelessness


This report states:

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

Previous reports included:

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:
Outcry following the publication of latest figures show 8,000 homeless
http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/government-criticised-for-unacceptable-and-tragically-preventable-homelessness-figures-805079.html

Head of Advocacy for Barnados June Tinsley described the figures as "unacceptable and tragically preventable".

"Child homelessness has increased by 296% in the last three years. We see first-hand the devastating and long-term impact that being homeless has on a child’s health and development, not to mention their ability to learn," she said.

and

Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) claim the figure of 8,160 homeless adults does not reflect the real number of homeless people in Ireland.

ICHH, which puts the figure at nearly 10,000, said the official number does not include hidden homeless people who are sleeping rough or staying with friends or family

Almost 3,000 children now homeless across State
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/almost-3-000-children-now-homeless-across-state-1.3213232

Focus Ireland director of advocacy Mike Allen described the figures as “dreadful” and said they must be a “line in the sand”.

“They clearly show that the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland strategy is failing to get to grips with the escalating crisis. We are in the middle of the worst crisis in living memory as over 8,000 people are homeless nationwide.

“The time has now come for the Government to take the decisions it has shied away from for several years. This includes actively building social housing, taxing those who hoard building land, and protecting the rights of tenants facing eviction.”

Number of people homeless in Ireland exceeds 8,000 for first time
https://www.rte.ie/news/2017/0907/903072-homeless/

The total number of homeless people in the country has exceeded 8,000 for the first time, with 36% of them children, according to the latest figures released by the Department of Housing.
Government statistics for July show there were 1,429 families without homes - up almost 5% from June - leading to a total of 8,160 people homeless in Ireland.
The number of children without a home now stands at over 2,970.
The figures have gone up by 25% within a year

Spanish Eyes

At this stage the word homeless is being debased. It is not defined anywhere.

Maybe there should be a definition now.

Not everyone is homeless, but all are in need of housing. Same thing, different gravy.

The problem has to be solved, no doubt about it, but not everyone is living in a tent or in a doorway either. They are homeless for sure, but others are in temporary accommodation and are in need of housing. There is a difference.

But I suppose I will be told to get down off my high horse and get with the program.

Yep that would be the program where there are a multitude of homeless charities, the Local Councils and the Government all duplicating each other it seems.

A lot of those charities have massive cash assets too.

Just saying.

Michael D Not Higgins

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

At this stage the word homeless is being debased. It is not defined anywhere.

Maybe there should be a definition now.

Homeless is a defined term.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/losing_your_home/homelessness.html

Section 2 of the Housing Act 1988 states that you are considered homeless if:

There is no accommodation available that, in the opinion of the local authority, you and any other person who normally lives with you or who might reasonably be expected to live with you, can reasonably occupy or remain in occupation of, or
You are living in a hospital, county home, night shelter or other such institution, and you are living there because you have no suitable accommodation or
You are, in the opinion of the local authority, unable to provide accommodation from your own resources


In general, you may be considered homeless if you are:

Sleeping rough
Staying in an emergency hostel or refuge
Staying in bed and breakfast or hotel accommodation on a temporary basis
Staying temporarily with friends or family because you have nowhere else to go
Squatting (occupying a building illegally)

Tony EH

Homeless hasn't been "debased" at all. It still means what always meant. It's without a fixed abode, sans permanent dwelling.

Nothing has changed in the definition.

Just because someone finds themselves in a hotel room for a period of time it doesn't make them any less homeless.

Divelment

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

At this stage the word homeless is being debased. It is not defined anywhere.

Maybe there should be a definition now.

Not everyone is homeless, but all are in need of housing. Same thing, different gravy.

The problem has to be solved, no doubt about it, but not everyone is living in a tent or in a doorway either. They are homeless for sure, but others are in temporary accommodation and are in need of housing. There is a difference.

But I suppose I will be told to get down off my high horse and get with the program.

Yep that would be the program where there are a multitude of homeless charities, the Local Councils and the Government all duplicating each other it seems.

A lot of those charities have massive cash assets too.

Just saying.

There is definitely a difference, I am living in a property where it is "temporary". I have zero security of tenure and it is a very short term arrangement. I am not homeless but I am as close to being homeless, as in sleeping in a tent or in a Peter Mc Verry shelter, as you can get, and I'm a guy with a full time job earning above 30K a year. Life in Ireland the last 2 years has been a horrid experience of casually renting and the market being the way it is, it has brought about a ruthlessness when it comes to how people who have no contract or lease, are treated. You have no rights whatsoever if you are sharing a property with an owner occupier or a spouse or a sibling thereof.

The solution for all of this for me, is to relocate and go live in another country. I've picked Edinburgh. I'm firmly of the belief, after having lived here all my life, I'm Irish, and in particular after having lived through the crash years of 2008-2013, that this country simply lacks the ability to run itself in a way that works for its citizens.

Here we are 10 years after the worst economic crash that was ever witnessed in history, we hold the record for that event, and we still can't get such a basic thing like housing right. There is something inherently toxic about this country now, the pervading mood of pessimism that pervades every radio conversation and attempt at political analysis, whether it is on the TV or the radio. We have become so immune to the way the country is mismanaged that if 10,000 families were made homeless this weekend because they were evicted from their houses, and had to then congregate in the Phoenix Park in emergency tents, we would still just shrug our shoulders and mutter, "isn't it fúcking awful, FF/FG/Labour have ruined this country". But we would still do nothing and our political overlords know we would do nothing.

That is exactly why we have this housing & homelessness crisis. These guys are so unafraid of the electorate of this country that they are bragging in every national newspaper today that they are repaying back 5.5 billion Euro of IMF debt before it is due. You could build a LOT of social housing with that a fraction of that money and get a huge start on getting this crisis back under control, but no, we'll be good little Europeans and pay back the debt we took on to bail out our bank like the EU made us do, and we'll get a few brownie points from Brussels for now paying it back early!

And guess what institution says that we can't use this money to help sort out this unbelievable mess that is our housing & homelessness crisis, you guessed it, it's the EU!!!

So goodbye Ireland, I can't say it has been fun, in fact it has been a special sort of fúcking hell living here, especially in the last 10 years and the 10 years before that in the supposed "boom times" were nearly as bad.

Spanish Eyes

Michael D Not Higgins wrote: »

Homeless is a defined term.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/housing/losing_your_home/homelessness.html

Thanks for the link to definition.

It is quite broad though particularly in relation to living with family. Sure we all did that.

I am not saying it is right or wrong, but homelessness is a broad church, and a multitude of so called homeless charities with millions of cash on their balance sheets will never want to shut themselves down, now will they.

Spanish Eyes

Divelment wrote: »

There is definitely a difference, I am living in a property where it is "temporary". I have zero security of tenure and it is a very short term arrangement. I am not homeless but I am as close to being homeless, as in sleeping in a tent or in a Peter Mc Verry shelter, as you can get, and I'm a guy with a full time job earning above 30K a year. Life in Ireland the last 2 years has been a horrid experience of casually renting and the market being the way it is, it has brought about a ruthlessness when it comes to how people who have no contract or lease, are treated. You have no rights whatsoever if you are sharing a property with an owner occupier or a spouse or a sibling thereof.

The solution for all of this for me, is to relocate and go live in another country. I've picked Edinburgh. I'm firmly of the belief, after having lived here all my life, I'm Irish, and in particular after having lived through the crash years of 2008-2013, that this country simply lacks the ability to run itself in a way that works for its citizens.

Here we are 10 years after the worst economic crash that was ever witnessed in history, we hold the record for that event, and we still can't get such a basic thing like housing right. There is something inherently toxic about this country now, the pervading mood of pessimism that pervades every radio conversation and attempt at political analysis, whether it is on the TV or the radio. We have become so immune to the way the country is mismanaged that if 10,000 families were made homeless this weekend because they were evicted from their houses, and had to then congregate in the Phoenix Park in emergency tents, we would still just shrug our shoulders and mutter, "isn't it fúcking awful, FF/FG/Labour have ruined this country". But we would still do nothing and our political overlords know we would do nothing.

That is exactly why we have this housing & homelessness crisis. These guys are so unafraid of the electorate of this country that they are bragging in every national newspaper today that they are repaying back 5.5 billion Euro of IMF debt before it is due. You could build a LOT of social housing with that a fraction of that money and get a huge start on getting this crisis back under control, but no, we'll be good little Europeans and pay back the debt we took on to bail out our bank like the EU made us do, and we'll get a few brownie points from Brussels for now paying it back early!

And guess what institution says that we can't use this money to help sort out this unbelievable mess that is our housing & homelessness crisis, you guessed it, it's the EU!!!

So goodbye Ireland, I can't say it has been fun, in fact it has been a special sort of fúcking hell living here, especially in the last 10 years and the 10 years before that in the supposed "boom times" were nearly as bad.

Good post.

Sorry to hear about your circumstances, and I wish it could be better. But you are being proactive and getting out of here. I know not everyone can do this, but it is probably the best way now.

I wish you the very best.

NIMAN

Common sense thing for the Government to do

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/government-to-offer-homeless-families-in-dublin-the-chance-of-house-in-rural-counties-36114265.html

But I am sure they will get zero praise for it. Or many accepting their offer.

Divelment

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Good post.

Sorry to hear about your circumstances, and I wish it could be better. But you are being proactive and getting out of here. I know not everyone can do this, but it is probably the best way now.

I wish you the very best.

I'm one of the lucky ones who has solid income that lets me keep a roof over my head, but the reality is that this country, or at least Dublin City & County, has NOTHING to offer anyone who does not own a home that they bought many years ago, or who does not have a high paying job and wealthy parents who can give them a lump sum to use for a deposit.

Imagine being so backward as a country, so disorganised, so disconnected, so stupid, so incompetent, so corrupt, that you can't actually get something as fundamental as housing right? We were meant to improve our society with each passing generation, within the space of 20 years, we've brought this society back 100 years, straight back to the Dublin tenements of 1911!

The only people I know in Dublin not losing sleep tonight over their housing situation, are those whose parents bought them a place, or helped them big time with a lump sum to get a place. I've a few friends on proper leases who are only facing a 4% rent increase but at the back of their minds, they know that their tenancy could be upended in the morning if a letter arrived in the post informing them that their landlord needed the house back to sell it or that little Johnny was returning from Canada and was taking the house.

NIMAN

Perhaps a little harsh?

I would guess that many young people in the likes of London, Paris, New York etc can't afford to buy their own places either. Its the nature of big Western cities these days, they are really only for the wealthy, and Dublin is just going that way.

Perhaps the Gov need to look into a policy of getting people and jobs out of Dublin?

Divelment

NIMAN wrote: »

Perhaps a little harsh?

I would guess that many young people in the likes of London, Paris, New York etc can't afford to buy their own places either. Its the nature of big Western cities these days, they are really only for the wealthy, and Dublin is just going that way.

Perhaps the Gov need to look into a policy of getting people and jobs out of Dublin?

My point isn't about home ownership or about people being able to afford to buy their own place or not, it's about a complete lack of housing.

quadrifoglio verde

Divelment wrote: »

My point isn't about home ownership or about people being able to afford to buy their own place or not, it's about a complete lack of housing.

And where do you propose this money comes from?
You won't build a three bedroom terrace for less than 210k.
Ok, you might build it for 170k like in Poppintree
However, that had land given to it for pennies and development levies waived.
Add them on and your at 205K, for a modest 3bed terrace in ballymun. And at 170k, you still wouldn't get a mortgage.

Then you've the fact that you can't just build 3000 houses in an area and house the homeless, or even 3000 families on the councils housing lost. We've been there, done that and forty years later parts of these areas are still ghettos.

Yes there's the 5 bn that was repaid to the imf. However if you look at it, it's an accountancy mechanism. We owe the same amount as we did a few weeks previously.
Except we owe that 5 billion to someone else and save ourselves 150 million in interest.
Perhaps you'd have preferred had they not repaid the 5 billion to the imf early and instead paid an extra 150 million in interest?

We've had 9-10 years of threading water, 5 of those where we had excess housing and all of them where we underinvested in infrastructure as we struggled to keep the lights on.
We had nothing, the piggy bank was down to it's last few cents when the imf arrived.

Everyone is screaming for a solution now, but the money isn't there. We've a housing shortage, chronic traffic congestion, a metro that needs to be built, a motorway that needs to be started and finished between Cork and limerick. At the same time we've parts of rural Ireland still on dialup, a water infrastructure dating back to queen Victoria that's bursting at it's seams, a health service that needs serious investment, a third level education system that we can't fund and parents unable to afford childcare.
All that needs investment now, when the money isn't there

If you've solutions as to where to find that money that is fair to everyone, spell them out.
Even if we were to confiscate all of Uncle Denis's billions, it'd only act as a band aid on what we need.

Then you look at the likes of the human development index and see where ireland comes. Then you decide that almost everywhere else is fecked altogether and Ireland ain't so bad after all :pac:

Slydice

There are more than 3000 Homeless Children

The August figures have been released:
http://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/homeless_report_-_august_2017.pdf

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

Homelessness (Adults)


Family Homelessness


This report states:

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

Previous reports included:

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:
Number of homeless children in Ireland over 3,000 for first time
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/number-of-homeless-children-in-ireland-over-3-000-for-first-time-1.3238280

Number of homeless children in Ireland passes 3,000
https://www.thejournal.ie/homeless-figures-august-3621749-Sep2017/

Number of homeless children rises above 3,000 for first time
http://www.newstalk.com/Number-of-homeless-children-rises-above-3000-for-first-time

Earlier this week Al Jazeera brought international attention to the Homeless in Ireland:

Bubbaclaus

How many of these homeless are actually on the streets or is there any figures for that?

Carlos Orange

Bubbaclaus wrote: »

How many of these homeless are actually on the streets or is there any figures for that?

161.

Spring 2017. I imagine it varies seasonally.

https://www.pmvtrust.ie/news-media/facts-and-figures/

NIMAN

psinno wrote: »

161.

Spring 2017. I imagine it varies seasonally.

https://www.pmvtrust.ie/news-media/facts-and-figures/

I thought the authorities have always said no-one needs to sleep rough, they have beds.

Those 161 must be choosing to sleep outside.

Slydice

More coverage today:
3,000 children now homeless as crisis worsens
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/3000-children-now-homeless-as-crisis-worsens-460006.html

Over 3,000 children in Republic of Ireland 'are homeless'
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/over-3000-children-in-republic-of-ireland-are-homeless-36182469.html

Young actor David Rawle (Moone Boy & Song of the Sea) has taken part in a Focus Ireland video to highlight the child homelessness crisis

Focus Ireland created this video to highlight the terrible impact of the homelessness crisis on young people and to call for more action on the issue.