Reports suggest more than €82 million has been spent on private emergency accommodation this year in Dublin alone.
That’s according to Newstalk reporter Josh Crosbie, who investigated the cost of homeless accommodation in Ireland.
He told The Pat Kenny Show the actual figure spent on homeless people is probably bigger.
“That was what was spent up to the end of September, and this is just the private operations, not the charities we know who have the shelters,” he said.
“For the whole of last year, the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive spent over €73,315,000 on the private emergency accommodation or otherwise.
“We can only assume that we will be reaching close to the €100 million mark by the end of this year.”
Market for homeless services
Local authorities do not release figures on how much providers such as hotels and BnBs receive for providing homeless accommodation, but Josh spoke to UCD Social Policy Professor Michelle Norris.
She said there is a growing dependence on private providers to house the homeless.
“Until a couple of years ago, voluntary NGOs provided about half of accommodation for homeless people, and private emergency accommodation provided the other half,” she said.
“In the last couple of years private emergency accommodation are now providing 70% of that.”
Prof Norris said “nearly all” of the emergency accommodation in Dublin is provided by “hotels and guest houses” that would simply return to the hospitality market “if there wasn't a market for homeless services”.
“In terms of annual cost, [homeless accommodation] is two or three times more expensive than accommodation of families using Housing Assistance Payments in the private rented sector.
“Is it value for money? No, and there’s no doubt about that, but what are the alternatives?”
'They're afraid to stay in hostels'
Tommy Gordan, manager of W.H Five Loaves, a homeless charity in Bray, said a lot of homeless people from Dublin come to Wicklow as they don’t want to stay in private emergency accommodation.
“It’s because they’re afraid to stay in a hostel in Dublin,” he said.
“They’re afraid of being robbed, drugs and substance issues.”
W.H. Five Loaves is a frontline charity and doesn’t offer accommodation, but many people from the city come to Bray looking for tents or sleeping bags to stay outside.
“There should be some sort of regulation in accommodation,” Mr Gordan said.
“Charities have controls, rightly so, and I think regulation and security has to be approved in some shape or form.”
Tents on Grattan Place Mount Street, Dublin. Photo: Sasko Lazarov/RollingNews.ieHousing Minister Darragh O’Brien told Josh private emergency accommodation is needed to support families and homeless people.
“I know some people would have a perception of emergency accommodation and, for their own good reasons, don't want to access it,” he said.
“However, we need to make sure that they do – the capacity is in place.
“The country has come through a rather exceptional time in the last 18 months with a large increase of people coming in from Ukraine and from other countries as well.
“We still managed to ensure that there is the capacity to accommodate all of those people and particularly our own homeless community as well.”
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