Homeless had no shelter from storm
AS HURRICANE Ophelia hurtled towards Ireland, there was a fear of the unknown as we all battened down the hatches. Notifications flashed across our news screens and Government broadcasts interrupted radio programmes to warn people to stay at home and stay safe. But what do you do if you have no home, no place of safety, to retreat to?
This week two people who were homeless died, one in Dublin and one in Drogheda, Co Louth. There are people who are especially vulnerable in a situation like this. People who are rough-sleeping (for which numbers are not collected nationally), who have literally no place to take shelter in the storm; those classified as hidden homeless, which is people living in temporary and unsustainable housing arrangements, sleeping on floors, couches and in squats; and people in emergency accommodation. The largest group of people trapped in emergency accommodation are people who do not currently have dependants in their care. These 3,235 adults always seem to fall to the bottom of the list. There are also more than 1,442 families with 3,048 children stuck in emergency accommodation trying to live their lives with no home to call their own.
People who are long-term homeless often have complex and multiple needs; they tend to be overlooked, forgotten and neglected. Their basic human right to housing under national and international law is not being realised. They have no private space of their own and yet they are often moved on from public spaces. The stigma surrounding homeless people, wrote the UN rapporteur on the right to housing, Leilani Farha, sees them treated like “illegally parked cars”.
Where you live is fundamental to every aspect of your life. It’s the foundation for your relationships and routine. Your day starts and ends there. Homelessness is caused by poverty and inequality; it is fundamentally linked to the treatment of housing as a commodity. The current crisis is the result of failures of successive government policies. Responses to the crisis have centred on an emergency-led method with limited focus on people’s wider and ongoing support needs. It is a flawed strategy that does not fully address homelessness and can lead to institutionalisation and dependency in the long run.
Analysis of homeless accommodation usage in both Cork and Dublin clearly suggests that a strong focus on housing people who are long-term homeless will have the greatest impact on freeing up emergency beds every night, which in turn will help reduce the number of people rough-sleeping.
Housing First is a programme prioritising people who are long-term homeless for housing and then providing intensive supports, including clinical supports, housing supports and support towards community integration. Housing First turns the traditional approach to addressing homelessness on its head. It’s proven to be a more effective way of ending the trauma of homelessness quickly for people, but also helps to make sure there’s an emergency bed for everyone that needs one.
Rather than keeping people needlessly in emergency accommodation until they are ready to be housed, a Housing First approach works to house people as quickly as possible and then bring whatever supports are necessary for people to address the many complex issues that may have been a cause or consequence of their homelessness. Once housed, people are in a much better place to start addressing these issues more effectively, integrating more successfully with the wider community, and piecing their lives back together. The Government must concentrate on providing the social and affordable housing that will allow the State to stop providing emergency responses and instead respond directly to the needs of those who are most disadvantaged. That is the long-term solution to this crisis.
They have no private space of their own, and yet they are often moved on from public spaces... Housing should be a right
Under international human rights obligations, housing should be treated not as a commodity but as a human right. It is clear people in Ireland care deeply about the injustice and indignity of homelessness and the long-lasting effect on the lives of people experiencing this trauma. This was evident throughout ex-Hurricane Ophelia with the number of people who contacted us in the Simon Communities, offering heartfelt support and asking about the plan for people who were homeless, especially rough sleepers.
Throughout the coverage of the storm, numerous questions were asked by members of the public about how the Government planned to ensure the safety of those who had no shelter. The awful irony of people being advised to stay home, when we have the greatest homelessness crisis of modern times, was not lost on people.
With this support of people working on the front line, staff and volunteers, both statutory and voluntary, there was a response that was nothing short of amazing as people all around the country stood in solidarity with people who are homeless. It must be hoped that the Government hears this. It is not fair or sustainable to keep offering people short-term solutions with little attention paid to their longer-term needs. People need housing, not a temporary roof. The State must recognise this injustice by providing secure affordable housing now.