The Government needs to do more to provide a greater social mix of local authority and private housing if it is to tackle poverty more effectively, the head of Combat Poverty said yesterday.
A study published yesterday shows local authority tenants are five times more likely to be at risk of consistent poverty than people living in other types of housing.
The report, Mapping Poverty: National, Regional and County Patterns, suggests that poverty experienced by people living in areas of local authority housing is reinforced through factors such as discrimination by employers, lack of amenities and access to services such as schools or shops.
Director of Combat Poverty Helen Johnson said she was "disappointed" at a Government decision to water down an initiative aimed at promoting a greater mix of social and affordable housing in new private housing estates.
She said tackling poverty was about more than providing a house and involved addressing other factors that can reinforce deprivation. While overall levels of poverty have been falling, the position of local authority tenants has worsened relative to the rest of the population during the economic boom.
The report also finds that some rural areas, including Border and western regions, are at a greater risk of poverty compared to Dublin and other large cities.
The study finds that people in Donegal, Mayo, Leitrim and Longford are at the greatest risk of not being able to afford basic necessities, such as adequate clothing, food and heating.
The highest level of consistent poverty was recorded in Donegal, where the risk of poverty was almost twice the national average.
The lowest levels were recorded in parts of Dublin, such as Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, south Dublin and Fingal, and in commuter-belt counties such as Meath and Kildare.
The report says a combination of factors such as economic activity, educational achievement and social class are more important factors behind the level of poverty risk across the State.
Responding to the report, the Irish Leader Network, an alliance of rural development groups, said poor regional planning was contributing to the high levels of poverty in some rural areas.
Network chairman Oliver Cassidy said: "Again and again we see factories and businesses, such as Hospira in Donegal, closing their doors or refusing to locate in rural areas. This is often as a result of poor regional planning and inferior infrastructure outside the major cities.
"In the face of this institutional neglect, how can people be shocked when presented with the facts about the extent of rural poverty?"
