Immigration and housing are likely to be among the biggest issues facing Government as an election looms. In many voters’ minds the issues are already linked.
A controversy has erupted in the last 48 hours about comments by Taoiseach Simon Harris in which he seemed to conflate rising homelessness with increased numbers seeking asylum and international protection.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, Mr Harris said: “People understand the fact that homelessness numbers are heavily impacted by the fact we are seeing many people seek protection in our country, seek asylum in our country, and many people come from abroad hoping to have a new future in Ireland, and immigration, it has many, many pluses, but it has had a challenge there.”
At the time of the 2016 general election, there were 5,811 people, including 1,881 children, in emergency accommodation. The latest figures from the Department of Housing show that in July numbers had reached 14,429, including 4,401 children.
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[ Immigration is ‘a factor’ contributing to homeless numbers, says Darragh O’BrienOpens in new window ]
These do not include anyone homeless but couch-surfing, people sleeping rough (128 counted in Dublin in April), homeless women and children in domestic violence refuges, former asylum seekers granted international protection but in direct provision unable to access housing, or homeless male asylum seekers (2,703 as of last Friday).
Minister for Integration Roderic O’Gorman on Monday said it was important to be “very clear” that asylum seekers have “no right” to housing supports like the housing assistance payment (HAP) or to access emergency homelessness beds. It was his department that accommodated them, whether in direct provision centres, tented accommodation centres like Crooksling, or in the case of Ukrainian refugees, in hotels and privately provided accommodation.
The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), which funds homelessness services across the capital, repeatedly states asylum seekers cannot access its emergency beds. This group is invisible in homelessness statistics, although they can and do access many homelessness day services.
Where asylum-seeking individuals can affect homeless numbers is when they are granted refugee status, or leave to remain, and exit the direct provision system but have nowhere to stay.
The Department of Housing started publishing the nationalities of homeless people in April last year.
In Dublin, which has the most internationally diverse homeless population, the majority were Irish until November 2023. That month in the capital 3,374 of homeless adults were Irish and 3,416 were not (1,754 European Economic Area-nationals and 1,662 non-EEA).
July’s data shows this gap has increased, with 3,345 Irish adults homeless in Dublin and 3,853 from outside Ireland (1,787 from EEA and 2,066 non EEA).
Nationally, July homelessness figures show of the 10,028 adults in emergency accommodation 5,386 (54 per cent) were Irish; 2,228 (22 per cent) were EEA/UK nationals; and 2,414 (24 per cent) were non-EEA. This is not dramatically different from July 2023, when of the 9,018 adults in homelessness, 59 per cent were Irish, 22 per cent EEA/UK and 19 per cent non-EEA.
None are asylum seekers. In July, however, of the 224 adults who presented as newly homeless in Dublin, 67 (29 per cent) had become homeless as a result of “leaving direct provision”, according to the DRHE.
In November 2023, of the capital’s 194 newly homeless adults, 29 (15 per cent) had left direct provision. In July 2023, of the 157 newly homeless, 14 (9 per cent) had come from direct provision.
Asylum applications are being processed more quickly, but as numbers arriving to seek asylum increase, Mr O’Gorman’s department is under enormous pressure to find beds for them, leading in turn to increased pressure on those with status to vacate them.
As Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien and the Taoiseach feel pressure of rising homelessness numbers, Mr O’Gorman is under increasing accommodation pressures of his own.
Sinn Féin's plan for housing asylum seekers, explained
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