Focus Point study on the homeless shows a system on the verge of collapse.
Anne (not her real name) was thrown out of her family home when she got pregnant for the second time. She now spends most of her time walking the streets of Dublin with her two year old daughter and four month old son. Unable to afford private rented accommodation, Anne now lives in a hostel. Before this, she lived in a bed and breakfast provided by the Eastern Health Board. Anne is just one of the people interviewed in the latest Focus Point study of homeless people. The report shows,
A system on the verge of collapse.
Tonight in Dublin, over 600 people will use a hostel for emergency accommodation. One fifth of these people are women and a growing number of them are young people. One of the most worrying findings of the study is the length of time people end up living in hostels.
Six out of every ten people in hostels have lived there for over five years.
Director of Focus Point, Sr Stan, says the system is now at a critical stage and urgent government intervention is required. The recommendations in the report outline the different types of accommodation that is required for different groups.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 26 March 1992. The reporter is Lorna Donlon.
