Homelessness numbers and their impact.

First an update of the summary charts showing the trends for numbers of Adults and numbers of Familys (Adults and Children).
They are updated with the numbers for the latest month:



The Latest Report
The Homelessness Report January 2020 has been released:
https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/homeless_report_-_january_2020_1.pdf

I've updated the two charts based on the numbers in the report. I've also resized them so they don't get too wide.

Homelessness (Adults)


Family Homelessness


The numbers reported here are a total rise of 540 since last month. That's 5.2% of the total 10,271.


Number of Homeless
I don't remember seeing reports of hospital numbers like this before. Temple Street Children’s University Hospital released them last month. The numbers in the charts in these posts did show an increase of around 800 children between 2017 and 2018.
842 children who attended Temple Street’s ED in 2018 were discharged with no fixed home address: 29% increase on 2017 figure
The experience of homelessness reduces the physical, emotional, cognitive, social and behavioral development of children.
https://www.cuh.ie/2019/01/842-children-who-attended-temple-streets-ed-in-2018-were-discharged-with-no-fixed-home-address-29-increase-on-2017-figure/

Dr IK Okafor, Lead Emergency Medicine Consultant said ‘National data from November 2018 reports that there are now 3,811 children in Ireland who are deemed homeless and we are seeing an ever increasing number of those children every month in our ED. In October to December 2018 alone we saw 260 of these children. Their presentations are varied and complex but in the majority they stem from the fact that these children are living in completely unsuitable, cramped and temporary accommodation

Media
It looks like hotels are getting a lot of money in payments to provide emergency accommodation for the homeless
Homelessness crisis: Dublin hotel received over €4m last year for emergency housing
Nineteen hotels in city each got over €1m as spend on emergency housing rose by 19%
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/homelessness-crisis-dublin-hotel-received-over-4m-last-year-for-emergency-housing-1.4181148

One hotel received payments of €4 million-€5 million, according to new figures provided by the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive, which confirmed the spend on providing temporary and emergency accommodation for the homeless increased 19 per cent to €170 million in 2019.

This headline says a man was found dead in the Phoenix Park but the article says that 4 deaths were reported in the space of eight days.
'Overhaul' of system called for after homeless man found dead in Phoenix Park
https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/fourth-homeless-death-reported-in-last-eight-days-charity-call-for-urgent-supports-as-man-found-dead-in-phoenix-park-982771.html

Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) said the man was registered with homeless services and called his death "tragic and avoidable".
In a statement, ICHH said it was the fourth homeless death reported to the charity within the last eight days.
The statement added: "We have consistently stated that there aren’t the proper wrap-around supports in place to support the mental health of people experiencing homelessness.

This is not the first report seen in these posts on the negative effect homelessness has on child development. Doing homework in a bathroom sounds like it will set the child back in school.
Homelessness has negative effect on child development, says study
https://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2020/0227/1117901-homeless-children/

Dr Geraldine Casey, of the Department of Public Health HSE Mid West, headed the research team.
She said that growing up in a hotel room is affecting children's physical and mental development.
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Dr Casey said that childhood trauma such as homelessness can have long-lasting effects and that many children are experiencing delayed developmental milestones such as walking.
She said that efforts must be made to help reduce the possible effects on children.
Dr Casey added that living in a hotel room makes it difficult for children to engage in education and described how one child was forced to do their homework in the bathroom because their siblings were sleeping in the hotel room.

Supply of homes
The solution has always been "to increase the supply of homes". The latest report does not have commentary where previous reports did. They used to include:

The long term solution to the current homeless issue is to increase the supply of homes

or:

The root cause of increased homelessness is the supply shortage across the housing sector, which in turn is a result of the recent economic collapse and the associated damage to the construction sector. Accordingly the long-term solution to the current homeless issue is to increase the supply of homes.