Emergency hubs may be needed for elderly if housing crisis persists, charity warns

Emergency homeless hubs for older people will be required if nothing is done to address a deepening crisis in their housing needs, a charity has warned.

Seán Moynihan, chief executive of Alone, was speaking at the publication of a report that found more than 40 per cent of older renters expect to stay in such accommodation for the rest of their lives as they have few alternatives.

Focusing on the experiences of 31 tenants, its authors sought to draw attention to a lack of supply and data-led understanding of social need in a country with a quickly ageing population.

Mr Moynihan said homeless services had evolved from dealing chiefly with men with alcohol issues to families with children, eventually necessitating the creation of controversial hubs in 2016.

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“If we do nothing [for older people], we are going to end up with homeless hubs because that is what we have done in the past,” he said.

According to Mr Moynihan, local housing needs assessments have typically led to the provision of about 2 per cent of output suitable for ageing residents, whereas older people account for about 18 per cent of the population. He also said that, since 2016, the over-60s are the only age group where demand for social housing has continued to increase.

“There is a narrative that older people own houses, they’re all sorted. And we’re trying to punch through that narrative.”

The report notes that 17 per cent of all private renters are over the age of 45, comprising about 67,000 households, of which just under 16,000 are rented by those aged 60 and over.

The majority of those interviewed for the research, commissioned by Alone and housing charity Threshold, largely entered the private rental sector in unexpected circumstances, most often in situations beyond their control.

“High levels of vulnerability were expressed by ageing and older renters participating in this study, with significant concerns expressed about housing insecurity,” it says.

Substandard or unsuitable accommodation; inappropriate behaviour by landlords; the absence of alternative, affordable accommodation options; and inadequate protections were all raised by respondents. A reluctance by landlords to accept housing assistance payments (Hap) also featured.

“As a nation we have been aware about the growing ageing demographic for several, several years,” said Neil Haran, one of the report’s authors, noting a level of Government awareness of economic implications. “But similar planning in terms of the growing ageing demographic and housing tenure just does not seem to be there.”

The report calls for an increase to the amount ring-fenced for social housing for older people, better data and a commitment that at least 25 per cent of all social housing be developed to age-friendly standards.

Lorcan Sirr, a lecturer and housing policy analyst, said the modern pension was designed to meet the needs of people who owned their own homes, an inadequate sum where they must also pay monthly rent.

“The question then is, should we be increasing the pension to ensure older people can afford to live as renters? Or should we be ensuring that fewer older people end up as renters in the first place?” he asked.

“There is a huge irony in an Irish pension going to pay rent to an international fund [that owns a property] into which foreign pensions have invested. So you will find our pensions going to pay the teachers’ pensions in Canada, Germany and Austria.”

However, the report said that while there was an awareness among statutory body representatives of a growing number of people who will never own their own home, there was also a persistent “false assumption” this could be dealt with at a later stage.