The number of people homeless in Fingal has risen steadily over the first three months of the year, figures from Fingal County Council reveal.
In a recent report to councillors, the Chief Executive of Fingal County Council outlined how the number of people presenting as homeless outstripped those who exited homelessness thorugh the council by two to one in March.
The report states the following:
The Council’s Homeless Team continue to engage with those experiencing homelessness to offer advice and support. Homeless Assessments continued to be carried out over the phone. In March 2022 there were 64 new homeless presentations, comprising 30 families and 34 singles/couples.
During March 2022, 23 households, comprising 16 families and 7 singles/couples, exited homeless circumstances into various forms of social housing support- including into private rented tenancies under Homeless HAP. Homeless HAP accounts for 22 of these tenancies.
Commenting on the figures, Cllr Ian Carey said:
“These figures are appalling and mask the real personal tragedy of homelessness. Each number here is someone from our community in real difficulty.
“There are many people pushed into homelessness because a landlord is selling and they simply can’t find any other accomodation they can afford.
“The blight of homelessness might be the product of a decade of the mismanagement of our housing system but we, Fingal, and the Government, can do a hell of a lot more to resolve it.
“Covid has taught us that emergency measures can and do work. We are in an emergency right now. We need to recognise it and tackle it. We should not tolerate any homelessness. A safe place to call home should be a basic right for all.”
The report also went on to explain:
The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) has activated its Cold Weather Strategy 2021/ 2022 which runs from November 2021 to the end of March 2022. This is in order to meet a likely increase in demand for homeless services and to have the appropriate contingency plan in place for cold weather conditions. Should there be a cold weather or any emergency event, the DRHE will co-ordinate the response to homelessness on behalf of the four Dublin Local Authorities. Whilst services continue to operate throughout the year to support people experiencing homelessness, during the winter period, services are increased and enhanced to mitigate against the health risks that the bad weather poses. The DRHE is currently preparing the Draft Homeless Action Plan Framework for Dublin 2022-2024.
