19/05/2003

Archived item. This item is published here for historical reasons. The information below may be out of date.

Publication Of Overall Homeless Figures

The results of the assessment of homelessness undertaken by local authorities in March 2002, as part of the overall assessment of housing needs, are included in the Department of the Environment and Local Government’s 2002 Annual Housing Statistics Bulletin.

The results show the number of homeless households at 3,773 compared to 3,743 in 1999 and the overall number of homeless persons at 5,581 compared to 5,234 in 1999.

A specific study was carried out for the Dublin area in conjunction with the overall assessment study in March 2002. This was undertaken by the joint Homeless Agency/ESRI assessment of homelessness, and focussed specifically on homelessness in the four local authorities of Dublin. It found that the number of homeless households in the Dublin area was 2,560. This assessment includes the number of people registered as homeless with each of the four Dublin local authorities, the number in homeless accommodation and the number of rough sleepers. However concerns have been raised about the validity of the numbers registered as homeless with the local authorities but not living in homeless accommodation or sleeping rough at the date of the count. Dublin City Council, in particular, are continuing to examine the validity of their homeless lists to verify the status of applicants who have sought housing on the basis of homelessness.

Commenting on the overall figures, Mr Noel Ahern TD, Minister for Housing and Urban Renewal, said “At a time of severe pressure on the availability of housing and before many of the homeless action plans were fully implemented, it is noteworthy that the rise in the level of homelessness is minimal. However, the number of people who are homeless is far too high and we must continue to tackle the problem vigorously”.

In relation to the Dublin figures, the Minister said “I would hope that the LINK data system, currently being piloted by the Homeless Agency, will ensure that accurate data on homelessness is available and will enable us to have precise information on the number of homeless persons at all times.” The Minister also responded to the publication of the Dublin Simon Community’s Annual Report. While praising their work with the most vulnerable in our society, the Minister said, “the Government remains committed to tackling homelessness. Since the Homeless Strategy was launched in 2000, there has been an improvement in both the quality and range of services for homeless persons.”

Responding to comments made by Dublin Simon in relation to funding for homeless services, the Minister said “last year, my Department spent €43 million on accommodation and related services for homeless persons, compared to about €12.5 million in 1999. This year, in spite of the tight financial situation, my Department has an allocation of €50 million.”