25 people less in emergency homeless accommodation in Limerick

TWENTY-FIVE fewer people are now in emergency homeless accommodation in Limerick, official figures show.

The Peter McVerry Trust, the housing and homeless charity, which has recently established a presence in Limerick, welcomed the drop from 257 people in emergency accommodation in December, to 252 this January. 

‘It is really positive to see a decrease, however small, in the number of people experiencing homelessness. It is vitally important that the monthly figures keep declining and we gain momentum. In order to do that every effort must be made to move more people into homes than become homeless in any given month,” said Pat Doyle, chief executive of Peter McVerry Trust.

Mr Doyle said that their agency housed a number of people who had been accessing emergency accommodation in recent months, and the Trust plans to invest €2.5m by the end of 2017.

Jackie Bonfield, general manager of Mid West Simon, said that the Government must urgently prioritise implementation of Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness.

The national figures show that there are 7,167 people in emergency accommodation, including 1,172 families made up of 1,581 adults and 2,407 children.

“The numbers remain far too high,” said Ms Bonfield. 

“We know that many of the people who are becoming homeless are coming from the private rented sector.”