Travellers, single mothers most likely to face discrimination on renting
TRAVELLERS, non-Irish nationals, single mothers, those with disabilities and younger people face the highest levels of discrimination in relation to housing, a new study suggests.
The ESRI and Irish Human Rights Equality Commission (IHREC) says that people in these groups are more likely to experience discrimination when attempting to rent a home, are more likely to live in damp housing lacking central heating and in a disadvantaged area with social problems.
The analysis says that part of the reason is that the State is so reliant on the private rented sector to provide social housing, meaning tenants are more likely to suffer discrimination. These groups are over-represented in homeless numbers.
The study is based on the Quarterly Housing National Survey and Survey on Income and Living Conditions, both of which are carried out by the Central Statistics Office.
In 2004, some 4pc of people reported feeling discriminated against in relation to securing housing. In 2014, it stood at 4.2pc. Overcrowding was more common in Dublin.
The survey also found that women were more likely than men to experience discrimination. People aged 30 years and under are also disadvantaged, being six times more likely to be discriminated against than those aged over 65 years.
Non-EU nationals are more likely to live in overcrowded conditions, with African migrants “over-represented” among the homeless.
It also says 60pc of homeless families are headed by lone parents, and they are 1.4 times more likely to experience housing deprivation compared with couples with no children.
People with a disability are among the most disadvantaged, while Travellers are most at risk of being homeless, and were 22 times more likely than other white Irish respondents to report they had been discriminated against in relation to housing.
IHREC commissioner Emily Logan said it was a concern that some groups were “disproportionately discriminated against”, adding that discrimination was under-reported.