There’s been a dramatic rise in the number of homeless children in the Mid-West.
New figures from the Department of Housing show 147 children were without a home in Clare and Limerick in August, a rise of over 80 per cent in just one month.
The level of homelessness in the midwest is continuing to rise with 352 homeless adults at the end of August, 43 of those in Clare alone.
The regional figure shows a four per cent rise, month on month, while the latest figures from the Housing Department show the vast majority were aged betweeen 25 and 44 and there were more men than women in emergeny accomodation.
The most staggering figure though is the rise in the number of homeless children in the space of a month – in Clare and Limerick alone, there were 67 more children without a home in August than had been the case in July.
The figure now stands at 147.
The midwest accounts for the highest number of homeless people outside of Dublin – 7% of the country’s homeless population are in Clare and Limerick.
The Department of Housing says addressing the issue remains a priority with 5.3 billion euro ringfenced for the Government’s housing and homeless plan until the year 2021.
