Simon Harris and Micheal Martin will be enjoying their turkey tomorrow afternoon, in the heat and comfort of their house – meanwhile, 16,000 people will be left to fend for themselves for Christmas.
The amount of individuals in emergency homeless accommodation throughout Ireland has surged to a record of over 16,000, based on the latest statistics from the Department of Housing, reports Breaking News.
These statistics were released midway through the general election voting and indicate a steady increase that has consistently broken previous records in recent years.
The information, published on Friday afternoon, reveals that during the last week of October, 10,321 adults and 4,645 children were utilizing emergency accommodation – the highest registered numbers in both categories, reports Breaking News.
These figures are often referred to as the “homelessness figures,” but they do not encompass individuals who are sleeping rough, those couch surfing, or individuals who are homeless while in hospitals or prisons, nor those in shelters for asylum seekers or domestic violence support services.
Additionally, the data highlights that there were a total of 2,161 families availing themselves of these services.
Among the 10,321 adults, 61 percent identified as male, while 39 percent identified as female. In total, 65 percent were categorized as single adults, reports Breaking News.
Out of the 2,161 families, 1,245 were single-parent households.
The release timing of the monthly statistics became a contentious issue in the final stages of the campaign, with opposition parties claiming they should have been made available to the electorate before polls opened.
Nevertheless, senior members of Fianna Fáil – the party responsible for housing – stated they would refrain from altering the usual schedule for the release of the figures, reports Breaking News.
Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien asserted that he could not expedite the release of the figures as he lacked authority over their publication, stressing that they required independent validation.
He mentioned that there was a consensus that these figures would consistently be disclosed at 2pm on the last Friday of each month, reports Breaking News.
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