There has been a slight drop in the number of people accessing homeless services in the Ireland.

There were 8,656 people in emergency accommodation last month, according the Department of Housing – down 46 on the 8,702 reported in August.

There were 1,128 families in emergency accommodation last month – up 11 on the August.

There was a total of 2,583 children in emergency accommodation, according to the figures.

September homeless figures just released show a slight decline from August with the figure down 46, 9 adults and 37 children, however the number of homeless families has increased by 8 to 1128

5 people have also died in the last 7 days so enough clearly isn't being done#AskWhy pic.twitter.com/XHg7BAXWB6

— ICHHDUBLIN (@ICHHDUBLIN) October 30, 2020

The Inner City Helping Homeless Charity said five homeless people died in Ireland in the last week and warned that "enough clearly isn't being done."

The Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien said: “I want to acknowledge the tragic deaths in recent days and months of individuals who have been accessing homeless services."

"I offer my sincere condolences to the families of those who have lost their lives.

"It is vital we continue to deliver the appropriate measures to ensure that all individuals experiencing homelessness are supported to exit homelessness into permanent housing solutions and that those with complex health and mental health needs are supported."

A tragic week, a dark cloud hangs over homeless services.

— Cllr. Anthony Flynn (@AnthonyICHH) October 30, 2020

Minister O'Brien said that although homelessness "remains unacceptably high" in Ireland, he believes progress is being made as authorities continue to respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I want to acknowledge the commitment of all involved in providing services to those who are homeless, in particular the local authorities and service providers who are working together to develop and implement responses in the short and medium term as we deal with this complex issue," he said.

"We must all continue to work together."

Eviction ban

Welcoming the drop, Focus Ireland called on the Government to broaden the eviction ban to help protect vulnerable renters through the pandemic.

The charity’s CEO Pat Dennigan said: “Since the lapse on the eviction freeze at the end of August, Focus Ireland has called for this temporary measure to be put back in place as we warned of the re-occurrence of disruptive evictions at a time of nationwide uncertainty during the pandemic.”

He said Minister O’Brien’s decision to re-introduce the eviction freeze during Level Five restrictions was welcome; however, he said the ban should be brought in as soon as restrictions hit Level Four in future.

"The moratorium significantly reduced the number of children and adults who were becoming homeless during the 5-month period since the measure began in March and this really helped services protect people who were already homeless during COVID-19 as well as help a record number to secure a home,” he said.

“A broader eviction ban for Level Four and Five restrictions will help to prevent homeless services from becoming stretched to breaking point during the winter months.”

"Deeply concerned"

Mr Dennigan said he is “deeply concerned about reports of further deaths of people who are homeless over the last week.”

“The circumstances of each death are often complex but it is clear that further measures are needed to allow all services to focus resources on keeping people who are homeless safe and provide them with homes much more quickly,” he said.

He said it is now time to convene an expert group to review the way homeless figures are counted and to return confidence to the reporting system.