A Social Report for Ireland Volume II - the NESC Website

people of working age 125Figure 7.30 shows that housing need increased by 29 per cent between 2005 and 2008– from 43,684 households saying they required accommodation in 2005 to 56,249 in2008. The number of people on the housing list who were unemployed increased bymore than 50 per cent from 19,425 to 29,530. The number of employed people on thehousing list also increased, by 46 per cent from 7,441 to 10,899. In the context of therecession the numbers in need of housing are likely to increase, especially given theincrease in numbers of people who have become unemployed.HomelessnessThe third indicator on the accommodation component is homelessness. Being homelessis the most severe form of housing need and has serious implications for people’s wellbeing.The 2008 local authority assessment of social housing need across the countryrecorded 1,394 households as homeless (Department of Environment, Heritage andLocal Government, at www.environ.ie). This figure seems low, as a survey of all homelessservices in Dublin (March 2008) recorded 2,144 households in homeless services –resident in homeless accommodation, resident in long-term supported accommodationfor people who were previously homeless or else sleeping rough (Homeless Agency,Counted In, 2008). Most of the adults in homeless services (84 per cent) were Irishnationals, but nearly 1 in 6 (16 per cent) were non-Irish nationals. 85Figure 7.31 shows the type of households experiencing homelessness in Dublin. Itis clear that people who are homeless are largely single. They are also mainly men– men made up 68 per cent of people in homeless services. The average age for allhomeless services’ users was 39 years old. Some 28 per cent of homeless adults inDublin were aged 18-29, 68 per cent were aged 30-64 and 4 per cent were aged over65. In general, anyone over the age of fifty who has had a prolonged experience ofhomelessness is vulnerable to many of the physical health problems associated witholder age. As noted in the previous chapter, and shown here in Figure 7.31, there areabout 250 people who are using homeless services who have children living withthem. Many people who are homeless identify that they have children, but that theyare not currently living with them.Figure 7.31 Type of Households Experiencing Homelessness, Dublin, 20081,6001,4001,439Numbers of Households1,2001,00080060040020031516881 79 620Single PersonSingle, with Child(ren)Not Living with ThemSingle, with Child(ren),Living with ThemCouple, with Child(ren),Not Living with ThemCouple, with Child(ren),Living with ThemCouple(no Children)Source CSO, QNHS Q4 2008, Table 2385. Non-Irish nationals make up 11 per cent of the total population.