CONCLUSION Although homelessness is usually associated with urban areas, evidence from the Simon Communities around Ireland indicates that it is also very much a rural phenomenon. The causes of rural homelessness are similar to those of urban homelessness but differences between the two do exist. The most common difference is that rural homelessness is regularly ‘hidden’. Difficulties arise specific to rural settings for people who are homeless and service providers. The geographical distance can be a barrier for people to access homeless services and other support services and for service providers 21 to reach those people who are in need. There are a number of other barriers to accessing services that are more prominent in rural areas. Lack of transport is one of the major barriers for people who are homeless in rural areas. This in turn is a cause of other issues associated with homelessness, such as isolation/boredom, difficulty for people to make hospital and other support services, employment and educational opportunities. Service providers incur extra costs in providing homelessness services in rural areas. Outreach services are required in rural areas because of the difficulty of people getting to services in bigger towns/cities. Regular contact by telephone with service users is required, meaning higher phone charges are incurred by service providers. The Government’s Homelessness Policy Statement endorses a housing-led approach to ending long-term homelessness. This approach is very effective in addressing homelessness; however the flexible supports need to be in place for it to work efficiently. Ending rural homelessness requires an interdepartmental and a multidisciplinary approach. Other Government policies, such as rural development policies, rural transport policies and communication and energy policies to name but a few, need to acknowledge that homelessness exists in rural areas and their work can go some way towards helping and even preventing rural homelessness.
Left out in the cold: A review of rural homelessness in Ireland
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