Presentation given by Dr Bill Edgar, European Observatory on Homelessness – Joint Centre of Scottish Housing Research, United Kingdomat a FEANTSA conference on Social Emergency and Crisis Intervention in large European cities , 2005

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