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Leah Farrell
Flowers in the doorway where homeless man Jonathan Corrie died in December of last year.
# Emergency
'Someone needs to call a halt to this right now. The crisis is worsening every single day'
Almost 5,000 people are now in emergency accommodation.
Updated 7:55pm
THE HOMELESS AND housing crisis is getting worse ‘every day’ according to the Simon Community, who say that nearly 5,000 adults and children are now in emergency accommodation.
“There simply must be an increase in rent supplement, the current limits are pushing people into homelessness,” says spokesperson Niamh Randall who added that the crisis is ”worsening every single day”.
The Simon Community says that there are now 3,372 adults, 707 families and and 1,496 children in emergency accommodation.
This is a 76% increase since January alone with Randall saying that something needs to be done “right now”.
“Rent certainty measures, which were promised in February of this year have failed to materialise,” she says.
This is all just taking too long and yet month after month more men, women and children are trapped in emergency accommodation, are at risk of homelessness and are experiencing the stress and trauma of homelessness and housing instability. Someone needs to call a halt to this right now.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny will tomorrow chair the first meeting of the Oireachtas sub-committee on Social Policy and the Simon Community says that “emergency intervention” must be on the agenda.
“The State must make better use of existing empty state properties and local authority homes,” argues Randall. “This crisis is impacting on single people, families and children.”
First published 2:50pm
Read: Could one of these six homes be the answer to the homeless crisis? >
Read: Fine Gael TD: Housing Dublin homeless in rural areas will increase criminality >
