The number of people who are homeless, or at risk
of becoming homeless and looking for support, has risen by 77 per cent
in the last year, according to Threshold.
The
national housing charity, which works with adults and children
suffering from poverty and exclusion, has reported that 2013 was its
busiest year ever, with calls for support and guidance having been on
the increase since 2010.
“Referrals to our
service almost doubled in the past year,” said Fionnughla McLoughlin,
assistant manager of the Access Housing Unit. “Demand for accommodation
in the private rental sector has been rising steadily in Dublin in
recent years, and there is a serious shortage of rental accommodation in
the city.”
The increase in demand has pushed average
rents up, said Ms McLoughlin, adding that welfare cuts and rent
supplement caps mean “vulnerable families” are no longer able to pay.
Threshold
has seen a drop of almost 75 per cent in the number of rental
properties advertised on “a leading property website”, she said.
The
number of landlords accepting rent supplements has dropped from 21 per
cent in 2010 to 1.2 per cent last year, she also claimed.
Senator
Aideen Hayden, Threshold chairperson, said children are particularly at
risk in the volatile renting environment.
The Access Housing Unit,
which helped in 81 cases with homeless people moving into rented
accommodation in 2013, has reported that the majority of incidences
involved children.
“Homelessness,
obviously, impacts particularly harshly on families with children,”
said Ms Hayden. “Their education is disrupted, family support networks
break down and there is a huge mental and emotional strain for those
affected.”
Ms Hayden believes the biggest
challenge facing homeless people is actually finding a place to live.
“They often spend long periods of time in hostels and shelters before
getting a chance to have a place of their own.”
According
to Bob Jordan, Threshold chief executive, the only way to improve the
situation for 2014 is a real recognition of the shortage of social
housing.
“Social housing has traditionally been the safety net for
people who can’t afford to rent,” said Mr Jordan. “We need to have a
certain proportion of our housing stock designated for that group.
“The
oversupply of housing that existed at the end of the property boom has
been consumed and people are struggling to find a place to live.”
Mr Jordan believes the Department of Social Protection
needs to focus more on the actual prevention of homelessness.
“It used
to be more traditional issues like mental health, leaving institutional
care or addiction that caused homelessness. The new homeless are people who just aren’t able to afford their rent or bills.”