There are nearly 11,000 homeless people in Ireland as figures once again reach record highs.
Figures released by the Department of Housing on Friday afternoon show that there were 10,975 people who accessed emergency accommodation in September.
This figure included 7,633 adults and 3,342 children under the age of 18. In total, some 1,532 families accessed emergency accommodation in September.
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This is a 1.6% increase from the previous month when 10,805 people were homeless.
September is the ninth consecutive month where homeless figures have risen.
Nearly half of all homeless people are in Dublin, with 5,356 people in emergency accommodation.
Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien acknowledged that the number of homeless people was increasing and said that Ireland is in a “challenging position”.
“The Government, local authorities and those in our NGO sectors are making every effort to reduce homelessness,” he said.
“Resources and funding are not an obstacle to the urgent efforts required.
“Fully aware of the risks of homelessness faced by renters this coming winter, the Government has just legislated to protect renters who are facing homelessness by deferring any ‘no fault’ tenancy terminations from taking place this winter.
“While this emergency measure is necessary and will provide assistance in the short-term, the long-term answer to our accommodation challenges, including combating homelessness, remains an increased and sustainable supply of new housing.”
Minister O’Brien also published the Homeless Quarterly Progress Report for Quarter three of 2022.
It shows that there were 2,500 more people homeless at the end of September than there were at the same point last year.
The number of families presenting to homelessness services between June and September increased by 7.6% from 654 to 704, compared to quarter two.
The number of new families entering emergency accommodation increased by 2.7% from 402 to 413.
However, in Dublin, family presentations were down 8.9% on the corresponding period in 2021, down from 395 to 360.
Some 38.9% of families presenting to homeless services were prevented from having to enter emergency accommodation due to a tenancy having been created.
Some 96 families exited emergency accommodation into a tenancy in the quarter, a 13.5% decrease on the 111 families who exited homelessness in the Dublin region in quarter three of 2021.
The quarterly report also shows that almost half of both single and family households accessing emergency accommodation on the last night of the quarter have been in emergency accommodation for less than 6 months.
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