Dublin Simon Community Responds to January 2024 Homeless Figures
Dublin Simon Community Statement on January 2024 Homeless Report
Homeless figures released today show 213 more people were in emergency accommodation nationally for the month of January.
9,897 or 73% of affected people are in Dublin, equating to 1,423 number of families, 3,083 children and 4,385 single adults.
Catherine Kenny, CEO of Dublin Simon, reflecting on the latest statistics states, “The latest figures show that after a slight expected seasonal decrease of 1.5% nationally over the Christmas period, we have now returned to what is shockingly considered to be ‘normal’ in our society today – another upward turn in figures. Dublin alone now has close to 10,000 men, women and children homeless. This a devastating figure for our capital city. These people are now facing into a new year full of uncertainty and doubt at a time when most other people are looking towards a brighter future.”
December’s decrease was expected as those in homelessness are often offered shelter and respite by relatives, communities, or friends over the Christmas period.
“These festive supports are often not sustainable into the new year, so what we are seeing now is a return to the national post-Christmas upward trend of people in homelessness, and alarming figures – to which many people in our society have become desensitised to.”
Those experiencing homelessness are under immense pressure like never before. They are trapped between a rock and a hard place with high house prices and cost of living pressures on one side, and a seriously low supply of social and affordable housing on the other. People are being failed over and over again by the system and the detrimental effects of long-term stays in emergency accommodation on mental and physical health are well documented. This has manifested as a feeling of paralysis and lack of move on for families into homes as a stagnated housing system leads to the stalling of so many hopes and dreams.’’
“It is a case of new year, new numbers, no new plan. At Dublin Simon Community we believe that there is a pressing need to adapt the housing system and accompanying strategies to better cater to the specific requirements of single-person households. At the risk of sounding repetitive, if the Government believes there is an adequate housing supply then it must take direct charge and prioritise and allocate specific local authority units to those homeless and in most need of permanent homes. Society as a whole demands it – if we do not get some movement in the system then we as a nation are at risk of becoming stagnant.”
