Number of homeless children reaches highest level since records began

The number of homeless children has reached its highest level since current records began in 2014, now standing at 3,895.

The figure, exceeding the previous high of 3,873 in September 2019, is included in the Department of Housing’s homelessness report for August, which was published on Friday. It shows the number of people recorded as homeless fell by 156 last month, to 12,691.

However, this reduction comes against a backdrop of a reporting error in Dublin, which cumulatively resulted in an overstatement of the number of single adults in homelessness by 308. This overstatement is corrected in the August figures. Had it not been, the total would have increased by 152.

In Dublin, where the error occurred, the total number of people in emergency accommodation in the week of Auugust 21st to 27th was 9,269. This compares with 9,484 in July before the error was corrected, appearing to indicate a fall of 215.

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The number of single homeless adults recorded in Dublin – the group which has been overcounted – was 3,966 last month, compared with 4,274 in July, an apparent fall of 308.

The number of homeless children and families continues to increase in the capital, rising from 2,908 children in 1,347 families in July to 2,964 children in 1,370 families last month.

Nationally, the number of homeless children increased to 3,895 in 1,886 families last month, up from 3,829 children in 1,839 families in July.

The total number of homeless people has increased by 17.5 per cent in the last year, from 10,805 to 12,691.

The number of homeless children and families has risen by 21 per cent and 27 per cent, respectively, in the past year, with single adult homelessness up by 10 per cent.

Sinn Féin’s housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin described the figures as “truly depressing”.

“This Government has lost control of the housing crisis,” he said, adding that the longer the Coalition remains in office “the worse this crisis is going to get”. “The only way we can end the scandal of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gaels homelessness crisis is a general election and change of government.”

Focus Ireland said child homelessness “continues to rise primarily because families are finding it harder than ever to secure a new home and move out of homelessness”.

“This means that not only are more families homeless, but they are also stuck in homelessness for longer,” it said.

A national review of the recording and reporting of homelessness data has been agreed following the error which led to the over-statement of numbers in Dublin.

The Department of Housing said the City and County Managers Association (CCMA) had “agreed to an external review of processes and procedures for the collection of this data and how it is verified ... across all nine regional homeless leads in order to ensure the accuracy of the data”.

Sources say the error, which may date back up to a year, is down to a communication gap between private emergency accommodation providers and the central register operated by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), known as the Pass (Pathway Accommodation and Support System).

The system is an online register that holds details of every individual accessing emergency accommodation in Dublin. It is accessible to all homelessness services to provide “real-time” information on homeless presentations and bed occupancy across the Dublin region.

In a statement, the department said it

welcomes the appointment by the DRHE of an independent person of appropriate qualification to review the data and thanks the DRHE for its forthrightness in the matter.”

Sources stress the discrepancies amount to less than 1 per cent of all emergency placements of single adults in the capital and the apparent fall of 308 does not equate to a genuine drop in homelessness, which remains on an upward trajectory.

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