Sarah Slater
The number of families in Dublin who entered emergency accommodation last year dropped almost 50 per cent on the previous two years.
A total of 699 families in Dublin entered emergency accommodation for the first time between January and December last year, local authority figures show.
The downward trajectory follows on from 2019 figures which show 1,031 families sought emergency accommodation while in 2018 the number stood at 1,112.
Additional figures provided by the Council show that the average number of families presenting monthly over the six-month period from November last year to April of this year is 58.
In November 2020, 56 families needed assistance from the Council, December of the same year showed 60, 54 in January this year, February showed 47, March 53 and a jump to 79 in April.
A former Lord Mayor of Dublin and Independent councillor for the north inner city, Christy Burke questioned if there had been an increase in the number of families presenting to the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) of the City Council in the first six months of this year.
The figures were presented to Cllr Burke at the monthly Council meeting on Monday night.
Rolling restrictions
Cllr Burke said: “It is heartening to see the number of families needing emergency accommodation is decreasing through the help of so many homeless services and the introduction of temporary pandemic legislation.
“However, it has to be taken that this significant decrease was brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic engulfing the country and the ensuing lockdowns, rolling restrictions and ban on evictions. In essence, it bought them time from financial institutions, rent hikes and landlords.
"I along with several of my Independent colleagues are fearful of a tsunami of homeless may arise once the country attempts to get back on its feet again and restrictions fully ease.”
Earlier this year the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) of the City Council appealed to the public to make their properties available for homeless families and individuals.
The DRHE is responsible for the planning, co-ordination and administration of funding in relation to the provision of quality services to people who are homeless in the Dublin area, along with the development of responses to prevent homelessness.
They work in partnership with a range of voluntary and statutory agencies.
The Council and HSE have also initiated a joint review on all aspects of how emergency accommodation facilities are operated on behalf of the DRHE in the city and a comparison of day-to-day management operations between the NGOs and private operators.
