The Simon Communities of Ireland have said the fact that an additional 540 people accessed emergency accommodation in January is disappointing, and shows that the next Programme for Government must include innovative and decisive measures to resolve the ongoing homelessness and housing crisis. While noting that the January increase was not unexpected, the charity highlighted that homelessness in Ireland has grown by 267% in the last five years (January 2015 to January 2020)[1]and this is a clear call to action.

The Simon Communities in Ireland have welcomed the decline in the number of people accessing emergency accommodation in December, while stressing that the overall figure remains too high. The charity also noted that seasonal factors must be taken into account in considering the latest figures, which saw a decrease of 717 people in emergency accommodation since November.

A new report by the Simon Communities of Ireland reveals that an average of just 5.5% of rental housing stock across the country is within standard Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) limits.