merrion street

Very regrettably, in recent years the number of people in emergency accommodation has been increasing each year. However, 2019 marks the first year in which the number of people in emergency accommodation has fallen.

New social housing in 2019 has helped people out of homelessness and more new homes will help even more families and children over the course of this year. I know that this decrease is not enough and the number of people in crisis is unacceptably high, but the change in 2019 is a move in the right direction. 

A number of important developments are also evident from the work being done. Since July of last year, the number of families presenting to homeless services in Dublin has been falling each month. People are spending less time in emergency accommodation than before, with the majority spending less than 12 months before they are found a home. For every two families that present as homeless, one is found a home immediately and does not enter emergency accommodation at all. More than 1000 families exited emergency accommodation in to a home in 2019.

I want to thank everyone who was involved in these very important efforts over the course of last year and assure our partner NGOs and front-line staff that we will redouble our efforts this year and continue the important progress made.

Ends

Links:

Homelessness Report December 2019

Summary Analysis of Homelessness Quarterly Performance Reports – Quarter 4 2019