THE NUMBER of people requiring emergency accommodation has dropped to its lowest level in three years.
Official figures show 8,876 people were officially homeless in Ireland last month.
That number is a drop of 459 on figures recorded in April and represented the first time the number of people in emergency accommodation has dropped below 9,000 since 2017.
The Department of Housing now believe there are fewer families residing in accommodation of this kind than at any point in the last three years.
Despite the decline in numbers, Wayne Stanley, the Simon Communities Head of Communications, has warned that the number of homeless people in Ireland could increase once the country’s Covid-19 restrictions are lifted.
He is calling for the next government to take action to ensure the number does not rise up again.
"The emergency prevention measures have been really effective,” Mr. Stanley said.
“We have to look at whether we extend those, there is a strong case to be made for extending it.
"But we also have to look at all those people that have been impacted by Covid who may now be in housing distress and might be, if we lift the restrictions, forced to end up in homelessness."
The calls echo those of several drug and homeless services who are urging the next government to extend emergency accommodation supports to the end of the year
Merchants Quay Ireland, Coolmine and Depaul want a continuation of the short-term measures around housing, healthcare, and treatment capacity designed to ensure the most vulnerable people are not lost to the virus.
