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Introduction to Homelessness
Introduction to Homelessness in Ireland
Homelessness is not a new phenomenon however in recent years its nature and composition has changed significantly with an increase in the numbers of women and children and a reduction in the average age of persons experiencing homelessness. Homelessness represents the sharp end of social exclusion and persistent homelessness is closely related to poverty and disadvantage.
Definition
The Housing Act 1988 provided the first legal definition of homelessness in Ireland and was introduced following intensive lobbying by a coalition of voluntary organizations, the National Campaign for the Homeless.
Section 2 of the 1988 Act states that a person should be considered to be homeless if:
- 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
- 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), and
- he cannot provide accommodation from his own resources.
Section 9 of the Act indicates the need for periodic assessments in order to calculate the number of households with low resources in need of housing,as well as the need for caravans for travellers, and the number of homeless persons in each local authority area. Assessments have been undertaken in 1999, 2002 and 2005 (See Counted in 2002 and Counted in 2005. The PDF for Counted in 1999 is not available).
In addition to this, Section 10 of the Act enables local authorities to provide funding to voluntary bodies for the provision of emergency accommodation and long term housing for people who are homeless.
While the 1988 Act does not impose a duty on housing authorities to provide housing to people who are homeless, it does clearly give responsibility to the local authorities to consider their needs and expand their powers to respond to those needs. Specifically authorities may house homeless people from their own housing stock or through arrangement with a voluntary body. The Act also enables the local authority to provide a homeless person with money to source accommodation in the private sector.
Merchants Quay Ireland's Definition of Homelessness
Merchants Quay Ireland use a definition of homelessness which includes three categories:
Visible homelessness - people living rough or sleeping in designated emergency shelters or bed and breakfasts.
Hidden homelessness - people who are staying with relatives or friends or remaining in institutional care because of the lack of alternative accommodation and/or the of the lack of affordable accommodation
People at risk of homelessness - people who have housing but are likely to become homeless because of economic difficulties or the threat of violence [1] .
European Typology on Homelessness and Housing Exclusion (ETHOS)
FEANTSA the European Federation of National Organisations working with the Homeless proposes the ETHOS [2] typology which begins with the conceptual understanding that there are three domains which constitute a "home", the absence of which can be taken to delineate homelessness:
Physical Domain: Having an adequate dwelling (or space) over which a person and his/her family can exercise exclusive possession.
Social Domain: Being able to maintain privacy and enjoy relations.
Legal Domain: Having a legal title to occupation.
This leads to the 4 main concepts of Rooflessness, Houselessness, Insecure Housing and Inadequate Housing all of which can be taken to indicate the absence of a home. ETHOS therefore classifies people who are homeless according to their living or "home" situation.
Roofless: Those sleeping rough or in a night shelter
Houseless: Those in insecure housing, hostel/temporary accommodation, women's shelters, asylum/immigrants shelters, institutional release, supported housing or inadequate housing.
Insecure Housing: Those with no tenancy, eviction orders or experiencing violence/threat in their home.
Inadequate Housing: Those in temporary/illegal structures or those in living situations that are overcrowded or unfit for habitation.
Causes of Homelessness [3]
This typology classifies the causes of homelessness into the following categories:
Structural Causes include poverty, unemployment and housing issues.
Triggers: Debt, financial crisis, eviction arrears/behaviour
Support Focus: Prevention
Institutional Causes include institutional living e.g. foster/state care, prison and the armed forces
Triggers: Leaving care, leaving prison or armed forces discharge
Support Focus: Housing, care.
Relationship Causes include abusive relationships (childhood, partner) and family breakdown (death or separation)
Triggers: Leaving family home, fleeing violent relationship, coping with living alone
Support Focus: Housing, care.
Personal Causes include mental illness, learning difficulty, drug and/or alcohol dependence
Triggers: Deterioration or illness episode
Support Focus: Reintegration.
SOURCES
1. O'Sullivan, Eoin (1996) Homelessness and Social Policy in Ireland, Dept of Social Studies Occasional Paper NO: 5. TCD
2. European Federation of National Associations Working with the Homeless (2005) ETHOS Leaflet: European Typology on Homelessness & Housing Exclusion. European Federation of National Associations Working with the Homeless www.feantsa.org
3. Edgar, Bill (2005) European Typology on Homelessness and Housing Exclusion (Ethos) Paper presented at Homeless Agency Conference 'Definitions of Homelessness' 2005. Dublin
This fact sheet ©Merchants Quay Ireland 2006 |
Introduction to Homelessness