Homelessness and Policy Matters By Marcella Staken SVP Social Justice Research and Policy Officer
How many people are currently homeless in Ireland? This is a significant and challenging question because the answer is unknow. Currently, we only know the number of people ‘counted’ as homeless by the Department of Housing. This means that many of the people SVP work with who are experiencing housing distress are not classed as homeless by our current Government. As a result, it means there are limited supports for them to access to improve their living situations. A repor t commissioned by the European Commission has criticised Ireland’s homelessness policy. The European Social Policy Network found that there are ‘serious gaps’ in the definition and documentation of homelessness in Ireland, as monthly releases of data do not cover rough sleeping, hidden homelessness, those in long-term supported accommodation or families in domestic violence refuges.
6 | The Ozanam Bulletin
The ‘official’ count of 8,060 people experiencing homelessness in March 2021 does not include over 20,000 individuals and families on the social housing list doubling up with friends or family, often known as the ‘Hidden Homeless’ or the 3,052 women and children in domestic violence refuges but have nowhere to go or the 1000 individuals who have been granted refugee status but cannot find accommodation and so remain in Direct Provision.
A report commissioned by the European Commission has criticised Ireland’s homelessness policy. The European Social Policy Network found that there are ‘serious gaps’ in the definition and documentation of homelessness in Ireland.
