THE NUMBER of children in emergency homeless accommodation in the Mid West has increased once again, with 169 children listed as being without a place to call home in official government figures for April.
The previous month, there were 163 children being housed in emergency shelters. The overall number of people experiencing homelessness in Limerick has also increased in the same period, from 393 to 410.
Taking the Mid West as a whole, there were 489 adults experiencing homelessness in April – a jump from 475 the previous month.
Of those listed as being without a place to live, there were 96 families, 56 of those single parent families.
The worst hit age group in the Mid West were those aged 25 to 44, with 257 numbered in the report.
The vast majority of people listed as homeless in the region – 381 – were of Irish nationality.
National figures showed 14,009 people were in emergency accommodation across April, up 143 from 13,866 people in March. The figures include 9,803 adults and 4,206 children.
David Carroll, chief executive of homelessness charity Depaul said that the latest stark figures “underline the urgent need for recommendations made in the Housing Commission Report to be implemented”.
“The Commission advises that Ireland’s housing deficit be addressed through ’emergency action’ – this is something that we in Depaul have been calling for consistently.
“The Housing Commission Report also highlights that there is a current deficit of between 212,500 and 256,000 homes in Ireland. In 2023, 11,939 new social homes were delivered by local authorities and approved housing bodies, as well as approximately 4,000 affordable homes. Depaul supports the Commission’s opinion that a radical increase in social housing stock is required.”
“Depaul is calling for government housing targets to be raised from 33,000 homes to 50,000 homes for 2025, in line with a comprehensive review of national housing policy being conducted on how the housing deficit, highlighted by the Commission, can be delivered over the next 10 years.”
