Commenting on these reports Minister Murphy said: “Rebuilding Ireland continues to put in place supports to help people out of homelessness. Today we see that those sleeping rough is at its lowest level since 2015 and the lowest since Rebuilding Ireland began.

In October, there was a decrease of 23 families and 47 children in emergency accommodation and an overall increase of 117, which was expected following the introduction of new emergency beds in the Dublin region recently. It is also worth noting that the number of families presenting to homeless services in the Dublin region decreased in October.

Finally, we have our second in a series of quarterly reports. The quarterly report provides important information showing activity across a number of areas, including a regional breakdown on the numbers of people exiting homelessness to a home each quarter.  The latest report shows a continued increase in the number of exits from homelessness. The number of people in emergency accommodation is unacceptably high and we must continue to implement every necessary support, whilst also driving the continuing increase in the supply of new homes.”

Winter Rough Sleeper Count

• The Official Winter Rough Sleeper Count was carried out on the night of 26 November into the morning of 27 November 2019.
• It represents a 41% decrease on Winter 2018 figure – a total of 92 persons are confirmed as rough sleeping across the Dublin region in Winter 2019 compared to 152 in 2018.
• This is the lowest figure for a Winter rough sleeper count since 2015 and the lowest since Rebuilding Ireland began.
• The number of people sleeping rough remains a serious concern and the decrease in the number of people rough sleeping reflects the combined efforts of all relevant agencies to ensure people experiencing homelessness do not sleep rough this winter. This includes:
  • The provision of 342 permanent and 20 temporary beds in the Dublin region in 2019.The Dublin Street Outreach Service, operated by Dublin Simon Community since 1 June 2019, engages with people who are rough sleeping to help them access appropriate accommodation and other supports.
  • The Dublin Housing First Service, operated by the Peter McVerry Trust, targets people sleeping rough and helps to move them to permanent housing with the necessary housing and health supports.
  • In addition, the DRHE has put in place additional Outreach supports in collaboration with Dublin Simon Community and the Peter McVerry Trust to secure accommodation and homes for individuals rough sleeping.

October Update

• The monthly report for October shows that there were a total of 10,514 individuals in emergency accommodation, including 6,688 adults, 1,733 families and 3,826 dependants.
• This represents a decrease of 23 families, a decrease of 47 children and an overall increase of 117 on the numbers in emergency accommodation from the September report.
• The increase in adults was expected following the introduction of additional emergency beds recently.
• The number of families presenting to homeless services in the Dublin region decreased in October to 158, compared to 169 in September. There were 213 fewer presentations of families to homeless services in the Dublin region in first nine months of the year in comparison with 2018.

Homeless Quarterly Progress Report, Q3 2019

This is the second in a series of new Homeless Quarterly Progress Reports.

In the third quarter of 2019:

• A total of 1,564 adults and their dependents exited homelessness into tenancies.
• This is a 10% increase on the comparable period last year when 1,420 exits were achieved. It is also the highest number of exits recorded in a single quarter under Rebuilding Ireland.
• Q3 also saw an increase in the number of exits to local authority and AHB accommodation.

In the first nine months of the year:

• A total of 4,389 adults, and their associated dependants, exited homelessness to a home;
• This is a 17% increase on the numbers recorded at the same point in 2018. The exits to date include:
• 873 individuals moved to local authority owned properties, or up 69% on the corresponding period in 2018; and
• 691 individuals moved to Approved Housing Body (AHB) lettings or Long Term Supported Accommodation, up 46% on the corresponding period in 2018.

In Dublin in the first nine months of the year:

• Family presentations in the Dublin region have fallen by 9.5% compared to the same period in 2018;
• The number of families entering emergency accommodation has also fallen over the same time period, by 4.6%;
• Of the families presenting to homeless services in the Dublin Region, 48% were prevented from having to enter emergency accommodation; and
• 786 families have exited emergency accommodation into a tenancy. This is a 48.3% increase on the 530 family exits achieved in the Dublin region during the same period in 2018.

Link to the October reportLink to the Homeless Quarterly Progress Report

Link to the October report