Single-person homelessness hits highest ever level
Single-person homelessness jumped to its highest level ever in January, soaring dramatically following an unusual festive dip in December, new analysis shows.
Focus Ireland has looked at the figures for December and January and found that the bigger-than-usual reduction in single person homelessness last December was followed by a dramatic surge among the same group.
The homeless figures for December had shown a fall to below 10,000, but the January figures showed the overall number of people in emergency accommodation springing back to more than 10,000 — indicating a seasonal dip in the numbers rather than a longer-term trend.
Detailed analysis of the figures by Focus Ireland policy officer, Aisling Reidy, explains how "unusual patterns" in individual homelessness were the main factor.
According to the analysis published by the homeless charity: "Family homelessness has tended to drop in December due to families staying with their wider family over Christmas.
On the other hand, the number of single adults tends to increase reflecting the additional shelter beds which have been made available each year in the run-up to Christmas.
"This year was different, but the difference was with single homeless people, not families.
"In December 2019, family homelessness fell in line with the established pattern, but single adult homelessness broke with previous patterns by falling significantly — with both figures falling we saw an unprecedented drop in the overall December homeless figures (-7%)."
Ms Reidy explained: "In January, family homelessness continued to follow its established pattern with a post-Christmas rise, while single persons’ homelessness dramatically reversed the December decline, bringing single persons’ homelessness to the highest level ever.
Looked at in detail, single adult homelessness fell by 180 between November and December 2019, compared to an average increase of 140 in the previous four Decembers.
"January 2020 saw an equally uncharacteristic jump, with a dramatic increase of 306 single adults in emergency accommodation in the space of one month. This brought single adult homelessness to its highest level ever, at 4,400.
"Overall these changes resulted in the total number of people in emergency accommodation falling by 717 in December and rising by 540 in January."
The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) said there was an average of 53 beds empty every night during December, against an average of only nine per night during 2019 as whole. In one night in December there were 109 empty beds.
This week the highlighted how last week beds were still available at the end of the operation of the Central Placement Service freephone, with the DRHE stating most of those in less stable placements were likely to be single people.
