Homelessness levels in the Midwest region have jumped by 25 percent in the last 12 months.
While official numbers in Clare remain steady, this county’s Homeless Action Team is continuing to see increasing demand.
The Department of Housing has recorded 359 people as homeless in the Midwest region at the end of last month.
That compares to 286 at the same time last year, an increase of a quarter.
The number of people officially without a home in Clare specifically has slightly reduced in that timeframe though, from 65 to 59.
However, there were 192 presentations to Clare County Council’s Homeless Action Team between the 21st of April and the 19th of May, which perhaps suggests a greater problem on the ground here.
30 of those were new presentations, with 162 having availed of help on at least one previous occasion.
The Department of Housing says there are 77 families classified as homeless in the Midwest region, with 135 children without a home recorded throughout Clare and Limerick.
Clare County Council has told Clare FM emergency accommodation is ‘reaching capacity’ here, with a ‘sustained and increasing demand’ for emergency accommodation in what’s a relatively limited local supply.
