The phrase "housing crisis" is used most often to describe the difficulties faced by individuals and families attempting to buy their own homes. It also sometimes refers to those who are spending longer and longer periods on lengthening local authority waiting lists and those in the private rented sector who have seen their rents doubled since 1996.
Only very occasionally is the phrase used to describe the increasing number of those who are homeless, those in crisis situations, those leading Third World lives in one of the richest countries in the world.
It is not something I say lightly, but I feel compelled to say that the problem of homelessness in Ireland is at a crisis point. We now have quantifiable and measurable proof that the problem of homelessness is considerable, growing and larger than in many other European countries.
Following the recent Economic and Social Research Institute count (which found that homelessness in Dublin had doubled over the three-year period from 1996 to 1999 to 2,900 adults and 1,000 children), the Dublin Simon Community street count found that the number of rough sleepers in Dublin has increased by 60 per cent since December 1997 and by 36 per cent since June 1998.
A total of 202 individual rough sleepers were interviewed in central Dublin during the week of October 15th-21st. To put the scale of the problem into some kind of context, there are more rough sleepers in central Dublin than in Oxford (52), Manchester (44), Birmingham (43), Nottingham (31) and Liverpool (30) combined.
According to the UK's Homeless Network Street Monitor of January 1999, the number of rough sleepers in central Dublin is more than two-thirds of the number in central London (302). And while rough sleeping in London has fallen from 1,200 people in 1991 to its present level, in Dublin it has steadily increased.
The Dublin Simon count also shows that 19 per cent of those sleeping rough were women, quite a large proportion of them girls. The number of women sleeping rough in central Dublin is very high, especially when compared to the central London count, which found that women make up 11 per cent of those sleeping rough. In other words, there are more female rough sleepers in central Dublin than in central London.
The length of time people are spending homeless is also of real concern. The count shows that 68 per cent of rough sleepers in Dublin have been homeless for more than one year and 30 per cent for more than five years.
In an attempt to get behind the headline numbers, the Dublin Simon survey asked individuals sleeping rough a number of questions. Perhaps the most relevant was whether they would accept accommodation if it was offered to them.
In reply, 94 per cent said they would take accommodation if it was available. Of the 12 who did not want accommodation, nine would accept it provided that their safety was assured.
We can now say with some confidence that almost no one chooses to sleep rough. These answers firmly contradict the idea still held by a number of people that the majority of homeless people sleeping rough have somehow chosen to do so.
So if people will accept accommodation if it is offered to them, why are people sleeping rough? The simple fact is that there is no accommodation to offer them. There are approximately 700 hostel places in Dublin, but all are taken every evening by about 5 p.m.
If we are to address this problem holistically rather than offer short-term stop-gaps, we must address shortfalls of service provision in all areas of need. The greatest shortage is of move-on accommodation for those staying in hostels. A large proportion of those residing in hostels in Dublin could and should be immediately settled in permanent accommodation with sufficient supports.
At the root of the shortage of move-on accommodation is the building and allocation priorities of local authorities in Dublin. Dublin Corporation allocated accommodation to 23 single homeless people in the first 6 1/2 months of this year. In the last ESRI count of March 1999, there were 1,950 single homeless people in the Dublin Corporation area.
To house all existing single homeless people at the present rate would take 46 years. Alterations in the planning and provision of public housing, however substantial, are no longer adequate. Seismic changes in the delivery of move-on accommodation are required.
There is also a shortage of emergency accommodation. The shortage of bed places which people can access from the street is especially acute for those aged between 18 and 25, and for couples, families and young women.
Special winter provision is also wholly inadequate, and there is a shortage of adequate community care. Recent research by the Royal College of Surgeons found that 64 per cent of homeless people have mental health problems.
The high level of rough sleeping in Ireland is directly related to the failure of past community-care provision and the continued inadequacy of present provision. There is a critical need for a sufficient number of residential places for mentally ill and incapacitated homeless people which would provide accommodation of a good standard, leading to improved health and quality of life.
But the problem is not just one of a lack of accommodation. Preventive strategies are urgently needed for those leaving prison and other forms of institutional life. The unregulated nature of private accommodation is causing homelessness for many individuals. The operation of anti-social behaviour legislation in local authority accommodation also needs to be examined.
Ultimately, the level of priority given to the problem is critical. Certainly there is a crisis and the situation is worsening. However, it is reversible and can be solved. With buoyant public revenues and increasing private wealth, it is clear that the resources are available. The issue is whether the Government is prepared to focus on eradicating homelessness. To do anything else will be immoral.
Greg Maxwell is director of the Dublin Simon Community