THERE were 145 children in homeless accommodation in the Mid West according to the recent May homeless report issued by the the Department of Housing, Local Government, and Heritage.
And of the 402 adults accessing emergency accommodation throughout the region during the month, 336 were in Limerick.
Homeless charity Depaul has raised alarm bells over the fact that of the 2,441 accessing local authority managed emergency accommodation numbers nationwide, almost one in two have been found to be homeless for the first time.
The majority of those adults counted as homeless in the Mid West were men (224), while homelessness was highest in the 25-44 age group, which accounted for 201 people.
In a statement on the figures, David Carroll, Chief Executive of Depaul said: “It’s disappointing that we have not seen any significant reduction in numbers. An incredible amount of work is still needed alongside significant additional funding from Budget 2024 to get people out of temporary accommodation which is only meant to be short term.”
“Depaul is continuing to work through its community based and housing services in order to identify problems on the ground. At present, almost one in two people in our homeless services (45 per cent) are first time homeless, which is a worrying figure.”
There were just two new tenancies created in Mid West under the Housing First programme since the beginning of the year, the second lowest in the country, the report states.
“While we welcome the ongoing housing initiatives being announced by the government, we urge that Budget 2024 be used in a variety of ways with a key focus on the private rented sector which is a leading driver of homelessness,” Mr Carroll said.
“Renters need renewed confidence in the market and so it’s imperative that tax incentives for landlords are considered in Budget 2024 in order to maintain and boost housing supply within the PRS and to give tenants more security.
“The renters tax relief scheme should also be continued and increased. We call on the government to make landlords with two properties exempt from Capital Gains Tax as part of Budget 2024 in order to increase housing supply.”
“Approved Housing Bodies and local authorities have a key role to play in delivering on housing stock and must continue to be equipped with adequate resources to manage and purchase housing stock quickly. We support the government’s commitment that tenants in situ purchase schemes will remain and be extended.”
“Further consideration should be given to utilising the windfall taxes to increase social housing numbers as part of the budget. Targets must be met in order to respond effectively to this crisis,” the Depaul chief executive concluded.
