‘Dire’ housing market in Limerick is forcing local workers into homelessness
THE LANDSCAPE of the homelessness crisis in Limerick has changed in recent years, according to those providing emergency accommodation.
The regional manager for emergency accommodation at the Mid-West Simon Community, Jonathan Shinnors, has warned the current lack of affordable housing has left the city and county in a “dire situation.”
It comes as the latest government figures, for November, show a monthly increase in the number of adults and families who are homeless in Limerick.
According to Mr Shinnors, the organisation is now supporting a new cohort of people who, in previous years, would not have been availing of homeless support.
“We are supporting those who are in full-time employment, due to the cost of rental properties, or various other reasons, are now accessing our emergency accommodation,” Mr Shinnors said.
“These individuals would not present with some of the challenges that historically would have gone with the traditional image of homelessness. The landscape of what we are dealing with has changed completely,” he added.
According to Mr Shinnors, the lack of affordable and suitable accommodation is one of the driving forces behind this new demographic of homeless.
“The rental market has taken a massive change in the last number of years within Limerick city. Individuals cannot afford to rent within the markets, even if they are working,” Mr Shinnors said.
“There is a sheer shortage of accommodation within the metropolitan area of Limerick city. It's just simply not there,” he added.
Services, such as the Mid-West Simon Community, are still dealing with large numbers of people who would typically be more at risk of homelessness.
“We still have large numbers of people with substance abuse and mental health issues,” Mr Shinnors said, adding: “The pressure point is certainly coming from those who would not traditionally be availing of these services,” he added.
For Mr Shinnors, one solution to the ongoing crisis could lie in empty shops throughout the city.
“To change our planning laws and bring those into the housing market is something I would like to see,” he added.
The latest monthly homelessness report from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage shows that in November, there were 361 adults homeless in Limerick, an increase of 6.79% compared to the 338 adults registered as homeless in October.
Across the Mid-West region, there were 406 adults homeless, making up 5% of the total homeless population in the country.
This increased to 430 in November - a 5.91% increase from the previous month.
However, the figure was still 5% of the homeless population nationally, meaning that the Limerick and the Mid-West figures, while increasing, rose at roughly the same rate as the entire country.
November saw an increase in the number of homeless families, with 91 identified as homeless in the region.
This showed an increase of 11 families, 13.75% more than the 80 who registered as homeless the previous month.