There are now almost 300k people experiencing homelessness. Students sleeping on couches, families forced to live with parents & sleeping in their cars are not included in Government figures. Situation requires Covid-style national response to combat Crisis.

There are now almost 300k people experiencing homelessness. Students sleeping on couches, families forced to live with parents & sleeping in their cars are not included in Government figures. Situation requires Covid-style national response to combat Crisis. from ireland

26 comments

  3. I agree with tracking everyone in unsuitable accommodation so long as still report the constituent numbers individually – i.e. how many are rough-sleeping, in hostels, in hotel rooms etc. Sleeping in cars definitely should be counted as homeless as it stands.

    Just saying we have 300k homeless, including a wide variety of circumstances hides that info.

    Personally, i would lean away from the word “homeless” for someone who lives with parents, and more towards “people in unsuitable accommodation” but it’s semantics if this info is presented properly.

  5. I understand that it’s not homeless in the traditional sense of living on the street, but it is unacceptable to have 300k people living in these circumstances.

    I’d even go as far as to say anyone living at home against their will, because of the housing and rental crises can be considered homeless.

    These people, despite following the set out rules of the society, the social contract, are trapped and beholden to the good will of their family members and living in highly stressful and potentially precarious situations.

    We cannot and should not accept that a significant portion of society (18-35), most of them hard working taxpayers, expected to work to provide for the non-homeless half of our society, are so causally and callously subjected to living in completely unacceptable and dehumanising circumstances due to no fault of their own.

    Every single generation before ours has had access to own door accomodations at affordable costs, regardless of income level and socio-economic status.

    The abandonment of the ability to have and raise a family within the most biologically secure and optimal timeframe is something that we should be totally ashamed of as a society and the future generations of Irish with the pension & population crisis’s will look back at this time as an abject failure.

    I could go on and on as most of us could. But it truly is a disgrace, a black mark on every single person in our society that this has been allowed to flourish, and even worse, the people who have actively benefitted and enriched themselves from this tragedy.

  7. This is a national disgrace. There’s always been an element of homelessness but to have numbers like this is front and centre of FFG policies or lack thereof

  9. This is why the government is so opposed to updating the homelessness definition to fit more in line with the rest of Europe.

  10. *”Sure wasn’t the money worth it”*

    Sold out in the past and now sold out for the future.

    Has this land ever been treated fair by those with wealth ? Okay if you conform to their way of doing things and become one of them sure, sad that people sell themselves out.

  11. I mean, it’s only fair that leading politicians should be made to live under the same circumstances – so they understand how urgent and serious this emergency is – right?

  12. Talking to a guy in the pub the other night that refered to himself as “undocumented homeless”.

    Marriage failed and he left the family home, unable to afford a place of his own to rent, so back living with his parents.

    In his mid 40s.

  15. Heard an above middle aged and an elderly woman loudly shout-complain about locally built houses recently. Was in a rural area and they were literally shouting about how garish the developments were and “sure they’re only building em to show off, the designers should be shot” so much damn vitriol and hate. Almost felt like turning around and telling em they didn’t pay for it and can more or less eff off, none of their business. Especially considering the current rent and housing market and record homelessness. As if people (who are lucky enough) to build a house do it for auld Ann who’s got a stick up her arse the last thirty years

    I hope things will improve but also fear they won’t

  17. Meanwhile NIMBYs, including politicians from all parties, keep attacking all larger housing projects.

  18. What can we do?

    Speed up planning? No, that could offend people’s property rights.

    Limit immigration? No, that’d be racist.

    Limit REITs? No, that’d be against the free market.

    Build temporary modular homes? No, that’d reduce house prices.

    I suppose there’s no point in doing anything so, maybe just give people a few bob toward the electricity so they won’t riot.

  19. Moved back in with my rents recently. My older sister who’s 30 has to do the same as her landlord said he needed to move back in and she also can’t afford to save money and rent. We’re both in good jobs and still can’t afford anywhere. I’m off to Norway in May and I am expecting the comments of “ah sure its exactly the same over there as it is here” (it’s really not). Id rather take the level of state care they get and a housing crisis versus our own system which is a massive housing crisis and absolutely no support Whatsoever.

    This goes beyond housing availability. I know people putting off having kids because they can’t afford them and/or afford to save for a house and have kids. It’s shocking because this is going to directly impact the population of this country and the ability of the country to replace taxable workers when my generation retires. I know people who are simply choosing not to have kids now. In one absolutely awful case, a dear friend found out she essentially waited to long (she wanted to be at least moved out with her husband as both are living in her parents with her brother) to have kids and now can’t. She’s absolutely devastated.

    I struggle to maintain my relationship (not only because of my social skills 😂) but because in a house with 5 people including your parents, it’s kinda hard to have privacy. My partner is undergoing the same thing.

    This isn’t just about needing houses. We’re being forced to delay the rest of our lives.

  23. The high cost of rents in Ireland is pushing an unprecedented epidemic of domestic abuse. The abused partner can only look forward to homelessness, or facing a home with an abuser, or the final option… That’s it. That’s all there is.

  25. I seen them throw up camps for COVID quarantine, nazi style in massive compounds here in the space of months.

    They could provide housing but not services, I think if you’re in that situation, you should really look at relocating wherever there is available housing and take it from there.

    Jobs, schools, relationships really have to be put to the side at find a room/apartment/house wherever you can that includes abroad.

  26. Time to build high rise apartment buildings. The universities should be required to provide accommodation for its students. That would relieve a lot of problems.

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