Figures revealed from The Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that 31 men and 9 women are homeless in the North West.
The latest report showed that on the night of the 24th of April 2016 (Census Night), 6,906 people were either sleeping rough or in accommodation for the homeless. 4,018 were male, and 2,888 were female.
The average age of the homeless population was 31 years compared with 37 years for the general population. Of the 6,906 homeless persons counted in Census 2016, 1,846 persons were aged 0-17 years, with 1,594 being children in family units. A further 413 persons (6%) were aged 60 and over.
Of the 5,212 homeless people aged 15 and over, 899 (31%) of them were employed.
There were 607 persons who were unable to work due to permanent sickness or disability, representing 12% of the total, compared with 4.2% of the general population. Students accounted for 429 persons (8%), while 188 persons stated that they were retired.
Children
Last month, figures released by children’s charity Barnardos revealed that 2,777 children are currently without a home – the highest number of homeless children ever recorded in Ireland.
June Tinsley, Barnardos Head of Advocacy said; “The Government promised to provide homeless families with more suitable accommodation by mid-2017 and this has not yet happened, meanwhile children and families suffer in inappropriate and unsuitable accommodation.
“The Government needs to ensure suitable alternative accommodation for these families immediately.
“Barnardos recommends that the Government prioritise building more social housing units to increase supply and reduce the over reliance on the private rented sector, while also ensuring that Rent Supplement and HAP rates are in line with market rents, preventing more families from losing their homes.”
“A more aggressive approach is required to tackle the ever deepening housing crisis. These figures also do not reflect the number of ‘hidden homeless’ families who do not appear on the official register.
“Thousands of families in Ireland are living in overcrowded, substandard or unsafe accommodation because they have no other options.”
Deirdre Cullen, Senior Statistician at the CSO says: “This report will help to further improve our understanding of this complex issue, by providing important new information on the social and economic circumstances of homeless persons.
“The collection of data in this important area could not have been achieved without the input and assistance of a broad range of both government and non-government stakeholders, and the CSO would like to thank all concerned for their cooperation in this.”
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