Vacant properties and the homelessness crisis

NEW homelessness figures were released this week. Drilling down into the numbers confirms that the number of adults who are homeless is still increasing, albeit at a slower pace. The figure stands at 4,760, an increase of 133. The most vulnerable people are families and dependants. Thankfully, numbers for both these groups have fallen by 33 and 98 respectively. The number of adult homeless people, however, is still rising, implying that we haven’t turned the corner yet. A promise was also made by the Government that the 700-plus people living in hotel accommodation in Dublin will be rehoused by July 2017. This deadline hasn’t changed but it will require an additional 300 houses to achieve. Where will these come from?

The Government’s strategy on empty houses is to be published in late March. In advance of this, the Peter McVerry Trust is holding an Empty Homes Conference on March 8 in Croke Park to identify both barriers and solutions to how to best use the nation’s vacant properties.

The most up-to-date figures available for vacant homes were published last June and stood at 198,000, with 50,000 of these in Dublin alone. Commenting on these figures, CEO of the Peter McVerry Trust Pat Doyle claimed that in our cities, we have 13 vacant houses for every homeless adult. “Tackling empty homes is a no-brainer,” he said. “It can deliver badly needed housing in areas with the greatest need, but only if the Government commits to genuinely tackling the issue.”

The Repair and Leasing scheme initiative announced this week also aims to address the issue of vacant houses across the country. This pilot scheme proposes to secure up to 800 additional properties for social housing. A €32m provision has been made for the repairs necessary to bring these properties up to standard.

Apart from providing more homes, the provision will help to reinvigorate villages around the country.