Chai Brady
Groups working to end homelessness have warned of a large increase of new people at risk of losing their homes when measures to protect tenancies during the pandemic are lifted.
The Government has implemented an eviction ban and rent freeze during level 5 restrictions, which are due to be in place until at least March 5.
Focus Ireland’s Services Manager John O’Haire told The Irish Catholic that there has been a decrease in people presenting as homeless to their services during lockdown due to rent protections but he fears an “avalanche” once they are ended.
MrO’Haire said: “My big fear is after Covid-19, and please God all of this will end soon, there will be a pent-up demand or avalanche waiting among landlords for properties to be sold or moved on, and the pandemic has proved it doesn’t have to be that way”.
He said that: “The moratorium on evictions helped in reducing the number of families coming in, and if we can match that with some housing supply, we wouldn’t be far away from solving the problem.
“That has to happen with a matter of urgency. Homelessness doesn’t need to be a part of the new normal when we have a new normal,” he said.
Paul Sheehan of Cork Simon echoed the need for the Government to continue to help people keep their accommodation and to tackle high rents. He said the number of new people seeking assistance from Cork Simon “reduced to a trickle” during the pandemic due to Government measures to keep people in their homes.
Mr Sheehan said: “The vast majority of people using our services are depending on that private rented market to exit homelessness and for the last few years they’ve been pretty much been locked out of that market just because it’s so expensive and costs continue to rise.”