There has been serious concerns raised by local representatives as figures from South Dublin County Council reveal that homeless numbers increased during the eviction ban. People Before Profit Councillor Madeleine Johansson is herself facing eviction and said that she was “deeply worried” about the fact that there were 160 new presentations to homeless services in the first quarter of 2023. The figures were released as part of the Capital Programme Progress Report at the April meeting of South Dublin County Council. 80 new households were added to the homeless register as a result. There are now a total of 511 households registered as homeless in South Dublin County.
Cllr Madeleine Johansson said: “I’m deeply worried about the fact that homelessness increased during the period of the eviction ban in the first quarter of 2023. We know that thousands of people have received notices to quit that will fall due in the next few months. If homelessness increased even when there was a ban in place those figures are likely to go up sharply in the coming months as thousands of people will be looking for accommodation.
“We already have over 500 households registered as homeless in South Dublin and there are very few properties available to rent in the private market. There needs to be a ramping up of the tenant-in-situ scheme where the council buys the property where tenants are facing eviction. But this will not be enough to stem the tide of evictions. “I have an eviction notice for June and it’s a very frightening time for tenants because there is simply nowhere for people to go. People Before Profit are calling on the government to reinstate the ban on no fault evictions and to immediately take actions to protect tenants. Only the reinstating of the ban can save hundreds of tenants from homelessness.”
