There is no evidence the amount of people in emergency accommodation as homelessness rates reach another record high. 

That’s according to housing activist Father Peter McVerry following reports there were 12,441 registered homeless people - an increase of 182 people since April. 

Fr McVerry told On the Record with Gavan Reilly there is a “growing sense of hopelessness” around the homelessness crisis in Ireland. 

“If we continue going this way by the time of the next election, there will could be 16,000 homeless people in Ireland,” he said. “That’s the way it’s looking.” 

He agreed high homelessness figures have become too “normalised” in Ireland. 

“Remember when the figures went past 5,000 - that's not so long ago [and] there was outcry,” he said. 

“The numbers crept up and up and up... [now] it’s got a small mention at the end of the news bulletins. 

“We've become normalised to reach 16,000 over the next 12 months probably - and we won't bat an eyelid.” 

Homeless hostels

Fr McVerry said more homeless people feel “this is their life for years to come” as they cannot find housing. 

“Social housing is very, very scarce, so they're seeing no future except living in hostels,” he said. Some of the hostels are excellent... but many are unsafe. 

“You have drug users and non-drug users sharing rooms together - in fact, some people first became drug users because they went into homeless hostels.” 

He said many people becoming homeless for the first time are too “scared to death” to enter hostels, leaving them few options for accommodation. 

Eviction ban

Fr McVerry said there is no “light at the end of the tunnel” coming soon after the eviction ban was removed in March. 

“[The Government’s] justification for ending the eviction ban was that if you extended it, it would drive land more landlords out of the market,” he said. 

“Actually, ending the eviction ban, in my view, is going to drive more landlords out of the market. 

“Because many people are going to overhold, they're simply not going to move out. And the landlord can't get them out until he goes to the District Court to get an eviction order and that could take a year.” 

Homeless person shelters from the cold Ha’penny Bridge in Dublin. Image: Michael Rooney / Alamy

Fr McVerry did not have any figures on people overholding in properties when landlords try to evict them. 

“But I can imagine people are desperate,” he said. “People living in private rented accommodation with a notice to quit in two weeks' time are absolutely desperate.” 

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