As of June 2018, there are 9,874 people homeless in Ireland, according to Focus Ireland.  Of the 30 families who were referred to Garda Stations in April when no emergency accommodation could be found, nine were Romanian, three from outside the EU and a further eight were members of the travelling community. But yet the homelessness crisis within these communities is vastly under reported and the government have been accused of distorting their figures.   

Asylum Seekers
While they generally enter homelessness for the same reasons as Irish people, non- nationals often do not have the same familial or social supports so find themselves entering homelessness at an earlier point, when they have no one else to turn to for help.

Asylum seekers leaving direct provision often become homeless as they struggle to find accommodation they can afford. While they are assisted with finding accommodation as they leave direct provision, it does not account for extra family members. This regularly leads to evictions due to overcrowding, as family members emigrate to join them. 

The Travelling Community
Travellers are disproportionately affected by homelessness in comparison to any other group in society. The lack of adequate social housing provided for the travelling community mixed with widespread discrimination has led to many living in unofficial sites with no running water or electricity. This has a negative impact on the health and wellbeing of travellers, a group that already has a suicide rate 6 times higher than the national average.

The end of Homelessness?
Unfortunately there seems to be no end in sight. Organisations such as the Mendicity Institute run programmes in several different languages to help non-nationals find employment and integrate into society and Pavee Point works to end the stigma attached to the travelling community. However, with no significant commitment to more social housing, the homeless crisis looks set to continue.

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