No More Deaths On Our Streets
dublin |
housing |
feature
Thursday September 15, 2005 18:54
by Jon Glackin - Street Seen
streetseen04 at hotmail dot com
0774 327 5533
Street Seen Call For Demonstration In Response To Recent Deaths of 'Homeless' People In Dublin
The recent tragic deaths of two ‘homeless’ people in Dublin highlights the Governments acute inadequacies in serving its citizens. On a weekly basis people die needlessly on Irish streets due to the acute lack of housing and lack of services to those in need. In response to these recent deaths Street Seen who publish an Irish Anti-Poverty newsaper are calling on people to protest in Dublin on Saturday 17th September saying clearly enough is enough: No More Deaths On Our Streets.
Numbers of people sleeping rough in Dublin city centre remain at record high levels, according to a new survey conducted by homeless organisations. Two hundred and thirty seven (237) people sleep rough in Dublin on any given night. These people are vulnerable to changes in the weather, violence, abuse and sexual exploitation. The survey co-ordinated by the Homeless Agency was carried out by Focus Ireland, Dublin Simon Community, Merchant’s Quay Ireland along with Dublin City Council and other homeless services
It was only with the introduction of the Housing Act in 1988 that any kind of national assessments of homelessness by Local Authorities were carried out. Although the early assessments were deeply flawed the most recent one (2002) found that a record 5,581 people were homeless throughout the state (according to the Housing Act definition). The majority of these were in Dublin. The Homeless Agency also co-ordinated a separate assessment for Dublin. This counted 2,920 homeless people in Dublin in 2002. There are currently 48,413 households on the housing waiting lists nationally and 5,581 people who are homeless. The vast majority of these live in emergency hostels and B&B accommodation on a night-by-night basis.
Article In Full As Originally Submitted
No More Deaths On Our Streets
Saturday 17 September @ 2pm
Central Bank
Dame Street
Dublin 2
Street Seen is calling on all those individuals, groups and organisations who wish to see the end of avoidable deaths on Irish Streets and homelessness to support this demonstration as a matter of urgency.
The recent tragic deaths of two ‘homeless’ people in Dublin highlights the Governments acute inadequacies in serving its citizens. On a weekly basis people die needlessly on Irish streets due to the acute lack of housing and lack of services to those in need. In response to these recent deaths Street Seen, Irish Anti-Poverty Paper, are calling on people to protest in Dublin saying clearly enough is enough: No More Deaths On Our Streets
Numbers of people sleeping rough in Dublin city centre remain at record high levels, according to a new survey conducted by homeless organisations. Two hundred and thirty seven (237) people sleep rough in Dublin on any given night. These people are vulnerable to changes in the weather, violence, abuse and sexual exploitation. The survey co-ordinated by the Homeless Agency was carried out by Focus Ireland, Dublin Simon Community, Merchant’s Quay Ireland along with Dublin City Council and other homeless services
It was only with the introduction of the Housing Act in 1988 that any kind of national assessments of homelessness by Local Authorities were carried out. Although the early assessments were deeply flawed the most recent one (2002) found that a record 5,581 people were homeless throughout the state (according to the Housing Act definition). The majority of these were in Dublin. The Homeless Agency also co-ordinated a separate assessment for Dublin. This counted 2,920 homeless people in Dublin in 2002. There are currently 48,413 households on the housing waiting lists nationally and 5,581 people who are homeless. The vast majority of these live in emergency hostels and B&B accommodation on a night-by-night basis
Not only has the number of homeless households increased substantially over the years but the crisis in social/public housing has also deepened. The slow-down in the construction of social housing by the local authorities in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the rise in the cost of renting private accommodation and the increasing cost of purchasing a property have lead to an increased demand for social housing.
Housing charity Threshold recently called on the Government to prevent the creation of modern-day slums by radically improving living conditions in private rental accommodation. Threshold in its 2004 Annual Report, showed the number of calls from people living in unfit accommodation had risen by more than a third last year. Conditions people were reporting included problems with hot and cold running water, mould growing on walls, vermin infestations and living in windowless rooms, Threshold claimed local authorities were failing in their duty to inspect privately-rented accommodation, with only 7,232 of an estimated 150,000 dwellings checked by inspectors. According to the report, almost 30% of inspected properties were found to be falling below minimum standards.
Homelessness means more than just sleeping rough. If you are living in Ireland in a hostel or bed and breakfast or staying temporarily with friends because you have nowhere else to go, you are homeless.
Street Seen is calling on all those individuals, groups and organisations who wish to see the end of avoidable deaths on Irish Streets and homelessness to support this demonstration as a matter of urgency.
No More Deaths On Our Streets
Saturday 17 September @ 2pm
Central Bank
Dame Street
Dublin 2
Further Details:
Jon Glackin 0774 327 5533
Mark Grehan 087 797 4622
Supported by:
Street Seen
Fr. Peter McVerry
Mick O’Reilly, Reg. Sec. TGWU
Ray O’Reilly, Asst. Gen. Sec. IWU
International Homeless Forum http://www.forums.homeless.org.au/
Residents Against Racism
Merchants Quay Ireland: The Changing Nature of Homelessness in Ireland
http://www.mqi.ie/homeless_awareness1.htm
How Many People are Homeless?
The Department of the Environment estimated that 5,581 individuals were homeless in Ireland during one week in March 2002. This compares to 2,501 homeless during the same period in 1996. 4,060 of these were in Dublin, where 723 had been homeless for more than three years. 312 of those surveyed in Dublin said they were sleeping rough with the remainder staying in emergency or insecure accommodation.
Why are so many homeless?
Housing has become increasingly unaffordable - house prices and rent increased substantially between 1996 and 2003. The Governments plan to deny rent subsidy to persons for the first six months renting will lead to a further increase in homelessness
Local authority housing used to provide a safety net that prevented poor people from becoming homeless. In 2002 there were a total of 102,000 local authority houses in Ireland. There were 48,000 households on the waiting lists for such housing.
A number of people who used to reside in psychiatric hospitals or other institutions become homeless on discharge.
Increased incidence of family breakdown also has an impact on levels of homelessness. Between 18 and 40% of homeless people say this was a cause of their homelessness
Who becomes homeless?
In Dublin last year 2,920 adults were homeless and 1,140 children.
The numbers of families with children who are homeless had increased to 25% of all homeless households identified.
Lone parents account for two-thirds of households with children. 94% of lone parents are women.
The number of children who were homeless has increased by almost 15% to 1,140. [1]
In a 1998 study Cleary & Prizeman found that 58% had become homeless by the age of 20 and 20% by the age of 16. [2]
What problems do homeless people have?
The average age of death of those recoded as homeless on coroners reports varies between 42 and 53 years. [3]
Between 25% and 50% of people who are homeless experience
mental health problems. [4][5][6]
Incidence of drug taking among homeless people in Dublin is high with surveys showing figures for drug dependency ranging from 25% to 45%. [7]
Estimates suggest that between 29% and 50% of people who are homeless are drinking above safe levels/recommended levels. [8][9]
Sources
1. Counted In as cited above
2. Cleary, A & G. Prizeman (1998) Homelessness and Mental Health. Social Science Research Center
3. Homelessness Fact File (2003) Crisis UK
4. McKeown, Kieran (1999) Mentally Ill and Homeless in Ireland Disability Federation of Ireland. Dublin
5. Feeney, A., McGee, H., Holohan, T. and Shannon, W. (2000) Health of Hostel-Dwelling Men in Dublin. Dublin: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Eastern Health Board.
6. Amnesty International (2003) Mental Illness-The Neglected Quarter-Homelessness. Amnesty International All Ireland Section. Dublin
7. O'Gorman, A (2002) Overview of Research on Drug Misuse Among the Homeless in Ireland. Paper presented at at the conference "Homelessness and Problem Drug Use-Two Faces of Exclusion. Merchants Quay Ireland July 2002.
8. Holohan, T. (1997) Health Status, Health Service Utilisation and Barriers to Health Service Utilisation among the Adult Homeless Population of Dublin. Dublin: Eastern Health Board
9. Feeney as cited above
Focus Ireland: Causes Of Homelessness
http://www.focusireland.ie/htm/housing_homelessness/facts_figures/causes.htm
People usually become homeless for a number of complex reasons including poverty and the lack of affordable, secure and appropriate long-term housing, as well as complex life circumstances. Typical difficulties that often trigger periods of homelessness include the following:
Unemployment: Economic difficulties including job loss can lead to homelessness as families and/or single adults can no longer meet mortgage or rent payments.
Drug and/or alcohol misuse: Substance misuse can lead to homelessness as family relationships breakdown or people lose their homes due to their addiction.
Eviction from and/or lack of low rent housing: Research by Focus Ireland in 2000 found that 29 per cent of B&B users had been evicted or threatened with eviction from either local authority or private rented accommodation or were forced to leave their last place of accommodation due to overcrowding.
Relationship breakdown: This has proven to be a significant trigger leading to homelessness. Various studies have shown that anywhere between 18 and 40 per cent of homeless households report relationship breakdown as a primary cause of their homelessness.
Leaving state care: Leaving state care has proven to be a significant pathway into homelessness as young people reach age 18 and are no longer the responsibility of the state. Focus Ireland research into the circumstances of a group of young people leaving three different types of state care found that 66 per cent of them experienced homelessness within two years of leaving the care environment.
Leaving prison: Leaving prison has proven to be a significant pathway into homeless in many countries as relationships may have broken down and accommodation may be lost during the periods of imprisonment.
Episodes of mental illness: Inappropriate release from hospitals, inappropriate long-term accommodation options, and lack of access to appropriate medical and therapeutic services all contribute to becoming, and remaining, homeless if affected by mental ill-health.
Being homeless as a child: Children of homeless families often become homeless as adults as a recent Focus Ireland study has shown. Twenty-five percent of homeless adults participating in the pilot study had experienced homelessness as children.
No More Deaths On Our Streets
Saturday 17 September @ 2pm
Central Bank
Dame Street
Dublin 2
Further Details:
Jon Glackin 0774 327 5533
Mark Grehan 087 797 4622
Supported by:
Street Seen
Fr. Peter McVerry
Mick O’Reilly, Reg. Sec. TGWU
Ray O’Reilly, Asst. Gen. Sec. IWU
International Homeless Forum http://www.forums.homeless.org.au/
Residents Against Racism
Related Indymedia Ireland Stories
text Housing Campaigners win victory over DL/R Council
Margaret Watson Is Homeless
The Great Housing Rip-Off
Street Seen: Background Info
printable version
Digg this
del.icio.us
Furl
Reddit
Technorati
Facebook
Gab
Twitter
View Comments Titles Only
save preference
Comments (22 of 22)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22A big turnout is needed for this rally. The FF/PD govt gave themselves a big pay rise recently. At the same time homeless service providers are short of funds. We need to make this connection.
We need to make our voices heard on this matter. People who want to add their names - organisations, in support of this cause contact Mark or Jon. Looking forward to meeting up with a few heads again, at the rally - D
Just recieved word that a 17 year old homeless youth also died at the weekend in Dublin....
There is a crisis on Irish Streets and it is essential that we can get as many people onto the Streets to protest against the simple fact that hundreds of people are consigned to live on the streets everyday....
I would also appeal that people who are free to attend the protest could bring along any spare Sleeping Bags, Blankets and non-perishable foodstuffs for distribution to those in need by Focus Ireland Outreach..
Saturdays event will be the start of weekly collections in Dublin City Centre of basic items that we all take for granted...
Housing Is A Right Not A Privilege
If Anybody is free Thursday lunchtime/evening or Friday for leafleting/postering/chalking could they please get in contact..
The autopsy of the two adults showed no evidence as to how they died. They are currently awaiting the results of the toxicology tests.
Its worth mentioning that sleeping rough in Dublin is unnecessary when there is room in homeless shelters.
How to prevent people becoming homeless, or get people out of a state of homelessness is the real issue...
It is not just an issue about sleeping on the streets it is also about being able to access the service providers. Many require counselling others just some help. The problem is as they tend not to vote they are ignored, killed by indifference
Thanks for the many many messages of support and solidarity, North and South for Saturdays Rally. Keep them coming so we can demonstrate to the powers that be the depth of peoples anger surrounding this issue.
There will be a sizeable 'homeless' contingent on the Rally on Saturday with info spread throughout all the hostels, drop in centres etc in Dublin.
It is vital that we can get as many people as possible on to the streets in Dublin on Saturday in solidarity with those chained to the streets so keep the word spreading...
Email us for copies of posters and flyers...or even make your own!
"Homeless people are homeless by choice. But it is a choice that others make. Our failure to eliminate homelessness, in this the second wealthiest country in the world, is nothing short of a scandal. Homelessness, and housing waiting lists, both doubled during the Celtic Tiger years when this country had more money than we knew what to do with - but giving some of it to the poor was not a choice that we were willing to make. I would encourage everyone to attend Saturdays event to show solidarity with our homeless community"
Peter McVerry
I am disgusted by the news of these avoidable deaths. I am always disturbed when I travel from belfast to dublin. The street homelessness seems to be worse than ever. I am involved in housing on a voluntary basis and I am concerned about the lack of social/affordable housing in the south of Ireland. Government must research and seriously review housing policy there. Private accommodation is not even an option anymore. However this is also becoming a big problem in the North. I wish you luck and progress with your continious good work.
Pauline Whittley
Open Door Housing Association Belfast
And The "Movin-on" Youth Housing Project
the findings of the the Sofia Housing Organisation which claims half of the irish polling public believe that homeless people are exercising some sort of life style option.
This horrible little report also found that 80% of the people it polled do not believe ex-prisoners, prostitutes or drug addicts deserve help in finding homes. You can listen to Sister Joan Quinn of the Sofia housing org talking about the poll if you click the link in this rte newsbit.-
http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0915/homeless.html
Dashing and daringly original prince to be of wales William of England spoke to the BBC two days ago about his decision to accept the invitation to patronage offered him by the UKs homelessness organisation Centrepoint of which his mother Diana was patron from 1992 until her death in 1997-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4242466.stm
the press release it will be his first patronage -
http://www.centrepoint.org.uk/main.asp?cid=491&sid=1976&pid=28853
centrepoint site :-
http://centrepoint.org.uk
Of course due to the unchristian attitude of many irish people, those who suffer the economic or psychological circumstances which lead to problem drug use or heavy debt and eventual homelessness are often "exported".
There are an awful lot of Irish homeless in the UK and always was.
The UK serves the Irish by aborting their unwanted pregnancies, imprisoning their exported delinquints and of course housing Ireland's problems in cardboard boxes. This is because they obviously don't like us.
"the Ukrainian woman who had her legs amputated after suffering frostbite sleeping rough on Ulster streets has made astonishing progress - only six months after learning how to walk again, it can be revealed today."
read the interview with Oksana Sukhanova a 27 year old woman who is now learning to drive and looking for a job.
Subscription required!
Anti-homelessness campaigners will stage a rally in Dublin tomorrow following the death of three people sleeping rough in the city last week.
A number of homeless people are due to speak at the event, which is being advertised in hostels and other emergency accommodation typically used by the homeless.
Mark Grehan of organisers Street Seen said it expected several hundred people at the event, "including a very big turnout from the homeless community".
The move follows the death of two adults and a 17-year-old youth in a 48-hour period last week, the latter having suffered a drug overdose.
Anti-homelessness campaigner Fr Peter McVerry said: "Our failure to eliminate homelessness, in this the second wealthiest country in the world, is nothing short of a scandal.
"Homelessness and housing waiting lists both doubled during the 'Celtic Tiger' years when this country had more money than we knew what to do with - but giving some of it to the poor was not a choice that we were willing to make.
"I would encourage everyone to attend Saturday's event to show solidarity with our homeless community."
The protest will take place at 2pm at the Central Bank on Dame Street. Independent TD Finian McGrath and Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins are due to speak at the event, while Labour and Sinn Féin have also pledged their support, according to the organisers.
Mr Grehan said more people would die on the streets unless action was taken. "It's only September. The weather is going to get worse," he warned, adding: "Current Government ministers are much more willing to give themselves another massive pay increase than to divert proper resources to address the issue of homelessness in Ireland."
He said the organisers planned to hold a "street meeting" after the rally for the homeless community to give it a chance "to speak for itself".
People attending the protest on Saturday have been asked to bring along "spare sleeping bags, blankets and non-perishable foodstuffs for distribution to those in need".
A 2004 survey conducted by homeless organisations in Dublin city, and co-ordinated by the Homeless Agency, indicated that some 237 people slept rough in Dublin city centre on a regular basis, and close to 100 slept on the streets every night of the week.
If anybody is free @ 6 pm today we are meeting up at the Spire, O'Connell street to blast some more posters and flyers about...
Anti Poverty Campaigners have urged the public to a attend rally in Dublin this weekend to highlight the plight of those forced to sleep rough. Three homeless people died on the streets on Dublin in recent weeks. Campaigners say a chronic housing shortage and a shambolic approach to providing support services have added to the misery of our most vulnerable citizens.
Under the Slogan –
NO MORE DEATHS ON OUR STREETS!
NO MORE DEATHS FROM INDIFFERENCE! –
the Anti Poverty newspaper, STREET SEEN, hopes to draw a large crowd to the Dublin demonstration. It is estimated that 237 people sleep rough on the streets of Dublin every night. Mark Grehan of STREET SEEN said that more needed to be done to support homeless people.
‘It is a disgrace that hundreds of people are consigned to sleeping on Ireland’s cold streets every night. The recent deaths of three homeless people in Dublin acts as a tragic wake up call to the people of Ireland and to the powers- that- be, to sort out the crisis in housing and associated services.
On Saturday there will be a sizable ‘homeless’ contingent which will be voicing its anger at the current situation. Saturday will offer an opportunity for the homeless community to be heard... There are service providers that do look into the issue but they are chronically under funded. The government looks at homeless people as not being vote givers and therefore they tend to concentrate on issues that will win them votes’, said Mr Grehan.
Trade unions, anti poverty groups and church leaders have thrown their weight behind the rally. Fr Peter McVerry, who has a deep interest in the welfare of homeless people, called on people to attend tomorrow’s event. ‘Homeless people are homeless by choice. But it is a choice that others make. Our failure to eliminate homelessness, in this the second wealthiest country in the world, is nothing short of a scandal. Homelessness, and housing waiting lists, both doubled during the Celtic Tiger years when this country had more money than we knew what to do with - but giving some of it to the poor was not a choice that we were willing to make. I would encourage everyone to attend Saturday’s event to show solidarity with our homeless community"
Organisers have called on those attending the rally to take along sleeping bags, blankets and non perishable food for distribution to those in need. The event will take place tomorrow at 2pm at the Central Bank on Dame Street, Dublin 2
For more information call Mark Grehan in the Republic on 087 797 4622
I ain't very good at quantifying the heads who attend such rallies but my guess is there was about 150-200 present. There was a strong Gothic presence and thankfully a low cop turn-out. The Goths created the only trouble on the day with of them bursting another. Reports are that it was due to an ongoing gangland feud between the Malahide and Donnybrook divisions.
It was a bit difficult to hear the speeches which were kicked off by Darren, formerly homeless but now investing lots of time/energy/skills to ensure his brothers and sisters on the streets of Dublin and throughout Ireland, who do not have secure accomodation, begin to receive stable long-term housing and their basic human rights.
It was followed by a young friend of the 17 year old boy who died on the streets last Monday. Daithi Doolan from Sinn Fein, Joe Higgins from the Socialist Party, DCC Housing Committee Chair Mary from Finglas, Mark Grehan from Residents Against Racism and Street Seen, Damien Moran and Ciaron O'Reilly from the Dublin Catholic Worker Movement, and there was a few others whom others may be able to identify and post below. Members of the punk/anarchist scene distributed infor about their 'Reclaim The Streets' Street Party next Saturday Sept. 24th at 2pm gatherin at the Spire. Others present were Domincan nuns and other members of the religious community working in the homeless sector, Residents Against Racism, Labour, and I'm sure many more whom I can't remember/didn't meet. I think I also saw Mick O'Reilly from the ATGWU.
Notable gaps in the demo. were any offical presence from Focus Ireland and Dublin Simon. Service Users were certainly there but was there any other representatives?
If not, it poses serious questions about the nature of homeless charities apolitical stance re. their service users and how they do not put in any effort to re-empower those who have on many occasions been treated just as crap by workers/management in the homeless sector as they have been by the general public and gvt. authorities. They are certainly put in a situation by the gvt. whereby they have to compete with each other for minimal funds allocated to the sector each year by the Minister for Finance.
But the fact that they unequivocally accept shite fire hazardous buildings from DCC , grant huge wages to bureaucrats in marketing/management/human resources positions and on many occasions don't even know nor meet the residents of their shelters (Hmm!Hmm! Sounds a bit like landlords) unless of course there is a death or PR opportuntiy available, underlines the problem that solely lobbyist poverty pimping poses to the homeless community in Ireland.
Are those of us working in the homeless sector keeping our voices silent because we like too much the third week of every month when the payslip is in our pigeonhole and we just want to preserve our jobs? I say this as somebody who feels I have not done enough in the past to advocate for the people I have supposed to be helping up. Our place must be shoulder to shoulder with the homeless community and not the management/charity bureaucracy community who normally only serve to contain the problem, get heads on beds and that's enough, attain more money for next years budget without justifying their all too often wasted expenditure, disempower the homeless by preventing them from self-referral options, and even refuse to the basic demands from workers and the homeless for transparency and accountability.
A big thank you to Jon and Mark and all involved in organising this rally. It was a great privilege to meet the many homeless folks there today. They were the strongest contingent of the rally and long may this continue. The patients and nurses of Ireland's abysmal health system have been telling the Irish government and political parties 'Enough is Enough', and this call was echoed by the homeless community who are tired of been trampled upon without been recognised as worthy of a place to call home.
In terms of media coverage there were good pieces on both TV3 (5.30pm) and RTE (6pm) from what I saw. Mark Grehan, Tony Doyle, DCC Housing Committee Chair Mary from Finglas, John Saunders, Jeremy were all interviewed on RTE. This was repeated on the 9pm news.
For homless people interested in becoming involved in continuing to apply pressure on authorities responsible for housing, i.e. public representatives, gvt. figures/DCC, etc. there will be a meeting hosted by Street Seen next Friday Sept. 23rd. (Contact Street Seen for details - ed)
If you know members of the homeless community then please invite them along.
This essentially needs to be a movement by the homeless for the homeless. The rest of us are auxiliaries available to provide solidarity if requested/required.
A meeting was held at the band stand in St. Stephen's Green after the rally regarding what next steps need to be taken to ensure the campaign to end homelessness in Ireland does not stop until people are provided with appropriate accomoadtion according to their needs and which affirms their dignity, making comprehensive support mechanisms available if people wish to access them.
There was a long discussion covering issues such as squatting & squatting/housing rights, access to the workplace and training, skills sharing, Street Seen paper/mag. publication and distribution, further protests/rallies, fundraising, initiating a petition for the public to show support/involve people in the campaign, ensuring a media strategy was put in place with spokespersons from the homeless community to articulate the key demands, etc.. The following were some of the concrete elements which you may wish to pencil into your diary:
1) Folks will meet tomorrow Sunday Sept. 18th at 1pm, Central Bank to organise around media outreach, press releases, flyers, other outstanding work etc.
2) Next campaign meeting: Friday Sept. 23rd 7pm St. Nicholas of Myra Hall on the corner of Francis st. and Carmon Hall (very near the Liberty Bell Pub).
3) It was decided that a picket will be held outside the Dublin City Council on Dame st. Monday Sept. 26th from 12noon-2pm while the DCC Housing Committee meeting goes on inside. A member of the homeless community/Street Seen may be invited to address this meeting ( TBC).
3) A stall may be held for the next four Saturdays on Grafton st. near Bewleys (Sometime between 1-6pm: To Be confirmed by group meeting tomorrow or Friday evening at the St. Nick of Myra Hall meeting).
4) General campaign Meetings will be held on Saturdays 12noon-2pm September 31st, October 1st, and October 8th. Provisional meeting place is at Number 1 Parnell Square (CDVEC Building) but I think this is to be confirmed.
If there any errors in the above report re. times, venues, other info. etc. then please correct them below.
Thanks
Todays demo was the first Homeless protest in Dublin I have ever witnessed in Dublin.
Big congratulations and repect to Jon and the Street Seen for organising and caring enough to give the voiceless a voice.
This campaign I believe will grow from strength to strength...
as a bedspread banner said today...no more death
Perhaps some of those organisations dealing with homelessness in Ireland could contact their counterparts in other countries and find out what the corresponding figures for homelessness are there. The Shelter UK website gives a figure of 116,000 homeless households in England and Wales. That's households, not persons. So, that would correspond to about 250,000 homeless persons. As the population of England and Wales is 12 times that of Ireland (Republic), the England and Wales figure would correspond to about 20,000 homeless persons in Ireland. So, their homelessness rate is about 4 times that of Ireland. The Scottish Council of Single Homelessness website gives a figure of 6,574 for the number of homeless families in emergency hostels in Scotland. That would correspond to about 15,000 persons. So their homelessness rate is about 2.5 times that of Ireland. That's amazing given that the population of Scotland is in decline, while that of Ireland is the fastest-growing in the developed world (as CSO figures showed last week). I guess the explanation is that, although the population of Ireland is increasing far more rapidly than anywhere, the rate of new house completion in Ireland is the highest in the world. Ireland is now building about 80,000 houses annually compared to about 160,000 in England and Wales (which has 12 times the population) and just 20,000 in Scotland (which has a similar population). Lets just hope the rate of new house completions in Ireland never falls to the levels in those countries, or we'll really be in trouble. If that were to happen, the proportion of the population homeless could rise well above its current rate of 0.13 per cent.
2.5 million homeless on the European continent, a figure based on the amount of people who use various services of both state and independent nature and are "no-fixed abode".
Taken with the rough figure of 8 million who lived in squats and a varying percentage of between 5% and 35% who live in substandard rented accomodation when we talk about "housing & homelessness" we are talking about about five times the population of Ireland.
All too often we look only at a narrow percentage of worse-case examples (such as high profile city centre rough sleepers) and miss the wider picture, homelessness is a very widespread problem. Most families of less than average income will see at least one of their members go through tenure insecurity. It is one of the many reasons why free market economics applied throughout the EU have pushed mean income and tenure security and access into increasingly negative statistics.
If Iosaf's figures are accurate, then its clear that the homelessness problem is far less in Ireland than in other European countries. That doesn't make it less tragic for those affected. However, the main requirement for solving the housing problem is to build new houses. Ireland is doing that. In most of Europe house-building is at a 40-year low. In Ireland its at an all-time high. About 80,000 new houses annually. A decade or so ago it was 20,000. Last year Denmark, with a larger population than Ireland (Republic) managed only 18,000 new houses. We currently build 4 to 5 times the number of new houses per capita that other EU countries do. This has virtually eradicated slums and overcrowding which were both widespead in Ireland until the 1990s. The non-homeless in Ireland now constitute 99.87 per cent of the population and the great majority of these live in houses which are far superior in quality to anything previous generations in Ireland would have dreamed of. Everything should be done to bring the other 0.13 per cent within the net also, but there is no point in self-flagellation and pretending the problem is worse here than elsewhere when it clearly isn't.
*Subsciption Required
Over 200 people joined a rally in Dublin on Saturday to protest over the problem of homelessness in Ireland, particularly in Dublin city. The demonstration was organised following the death of three people sleeping rough within the space of a week in Dublin city a fortnight ago.
At the protest outside the Central Bank, Dame Street, Mark Grehan, of organisers Street Seen, said the rally signalled the beginning of a new campaign.
"In two to three weeks' time we will hold a public meeting. Then we will have a mass rally before staging a sleep-out outside the Dáil," he added.
A number of speakers voiced their concerns at the rally, including politicians and anti-homelessness campaigners as well as many homeless people. The key to this new campaign, Mr Grehan said, was the involvement of the homeless community towards solving this problem.
Socialist Party TD Joe Higgins said: "Homeless people are invisible at the present time. We are not short of resources, we are short the political will to provide housing and care to all who need it."
He said that in the run-up to the next general election, the political parties should make "cast-iron promises" to eradicate homelessness. "The Government looks after the super rich, the very rich and not at all the poor," he added.
Jeremy McHugh (32), originally from Kildare, is currently homeless and came out to support Saturday's demonstration. "If all homeless people come together and sleep outside Dáil Éireann, that's the only way this will be solved. We want the key to our own doors," he said.
Sinn Féin Cllr Daithí Doolan said it was a disgrace that 5,500 people in Ireland were homeless while the country enjoys such economic prosperity. He called on the Government to immediately "establish a taskforce to tackle homelessness in our capital". He also called on the Minister of State for Housing, Noel Ahern, to take responsibility and action. "People are dying for want of a home," he said. "Shame on you Noel Ahern."
The Labour Party, Residents Against Racism and other anti-homelessness campaigners also supported the demonstration.
At the end of the rally, Mr Grehan urged the assembled crowd to lobby their local TDs and councillors to take action on homelessness. A "street meeting" took place after the rally, which gave people from the homeless community an opportunity "to speak about issues that affect them," Mr Grehan said.
Daily Ireland Editorial – {In part} –
‘The evidence is that this approach {Global and Local}, combining glamour with grassroots action can work. It’s unlikely to deliver the entire shopping list of those fighting for a fairer world but, as with the debt amnesty won by the Make Poverty History cronners, it can deliver where traditional political approaches have failed.
What works on a global stage can work at home. On Saturday, campaigners for the homeless gathered in Dublin to {quite rightly} berate the powers- that- be after the series of deaths of people living rough in the capital. Next Saturday, Nationalists, will take to the streets to press Dublin for a United Ireland.
In both instances, we are seeing examples of traditional approaches to problems, come onto the streets, speak truth to power, pray that the government will act.
Daily Ireland salutes the organisers of both protests – and similar campaigns driven ay activist citizens seeking change’ –
the momentum is building to stop the madness
No More Deaths On Our Streets
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=71896#comment121742
Report on Today's Rally and
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=71896#comment121742
International Homeless Forum http://www.forums.homeless.org.au/
http://www.streetseennews.blogspot.com
no more death
audio:
1-members of the homeless community, politicians, punks, street seen people, social centre people addressed the crowd.
10mins
battery ran out - aplogies
http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/speeches.wav
2-Theresa has been homeless for over 30 years on Dublins streets, she has seen the changes with the arrival of heroin, the arrival of the celtic tiger, she has seen many friends in her homeless family die
52 mins
http://radio.indymedia.org/uploads/theresa.wav
no more death - street seen
crowds begin to gather
just heard streets audio
respect from Canada..
;0