Counting homelessness in the Republic of Ireland

1
Counting homelessness in the Republic of Ireland

• Why?
• Who?
• How? The 2005 Rough Sleepers Count

2
Why? Legislation

• 1988 Housing Act
• assessment of the need for the provison by the
  authority of adequate and suitable housing for
  persons who local authority believe require it
  and cannot provide from own resources
• Nine categories of need named including
  Homeless
• At least every three years
• Consult with NGOs / Health Board / other housing
  agencies in assessing need
• Priority allocation systems

3
Who? Legisation
Legisation "A person shall be regarded by a
housing authority as being homeless for the
purposes of this Act if (a) there is no
accommodation available which, in the opinion of
the authority, he, together with any other person
who normally resides with him or who might
reasonably be expected to reside with him, can
reasonably occupy or remain in occupation of,
or (b) he is living in a hospital, county home,
night shelter or other such institution, and is
so living because he has no accommodation of the
kind referred to in paragraph (a)".
4
Who? Policy
Temporary insecure accommodation Emergency B
B Rough sleepers Vicitms of family violence
Gaps Prisoners (50 homeless at point of
entry) Those living in institutions including
specifically mentioned in law Those living
temporarily with friends / Temporary insecure
accommodation Accession state workers without
access to social security Asylum Seekers /
Seperated Children
5
Why?

• Law
• Social and Affordable Housing Action Plans not
  statutory but specific
• NAPs/incl commitment to end rough sleeping by 2004

6
History

• National homelessness count as part of housing
  needs
• assessment in
• 1989
• 1991
• 1993
• 1996
• 1999
• 2002
• 2005
• Specific rough sleeper count in Dublin

7
Current Homeless Agency Action Plan

• Action 4.2.2
• complete a review of the current methodology
• for the periodic assessment of homelessness
• by December 2004.
• agreed that the review would concentrate on
• ways of improving the information and
• analysis of information collected in the course
• of the assessments

8
First Steps To street count or Not to street
count ?

• Position 1
• Clear that numbers of individuals is decreasing
• Has been undertaken previously trend could be
  established
• Inaccuraccy over estimation in self reporting
  method

Position 2 X Only minimum figure X
Unscientific X If people knew they would run
away X Gardai (police) involvement
9
Peace Agreement

• No Street Count
• Self reported
• Benchmarked against recent analysis by 4 outreach
  services

10
Questionnaire Design

• Homeless Agency had standardised form from 1999
  and 2002
• Department had questionnaire for LA covering
  similar areas
• Amalgamate both
• LA undertook accommodation provider returns
• Homeless Agency all others

11
Services Covered

• Six Accident and Emergency Departments
• Eight community services
• Four drug treatment services
• Twenty day and food services
• Fifteen emergency accommodation services
• Private emergency providers
• Two refuges
• Health board services
• Thirteen services for young people
• Four settlement teams
• Four outreach services
• Fourteen transitional services
• Seven long term supported housing

12
Timing

• Target everyone who used services over one week
  period
• Rough Sleepers Outreach, Night Bus, Food
  Centres
•  

13
Outcome

• Results published end November
• Significant Decrease
• When benchmarked slightly higher but not in
  anyway over inflated