25 June 2020: Barnardos has welcomed the latest release from the Department of Housing which shows there were 286 fewer children living in homeless accommodation in May than in April this year. Barnardos is warning the Government not to become complacent and to resource services to the 2,787 children still trapped in emergency accommodation.
Suzanne Connolly, Barnardos CEO said: “We welcome the fall in the number of children experiencing homelessness; this amounts to over five hundred children gaining a home since the beginning of the Covid19 crisis. There are likely Covid related causes to this decrease and we would urge the Government not to take this good news for granted. All existing resources must be made available to make sure children and families in emergency accommodation have access to much needed support services.
“Too often we see the cyclical nature of housing need, with precarious living arrangements and tenancies often to blame. We must ensure the sustainability of the housing being offered to families exiting homelessness. But more than this, we must not forget about the 2,787 children still living in emergency accommodation. The beginning of the return to life as we know it with the easing of restrictions is positive for most of us; but for these children the restrictions of living in a hotel or family hub remains.
“We are calling on the Government to ring fence funding to provide additional Child and Family support workers so every child experiencing homelessness that needs support can access it. Organisations, such as Barnardos and others, are already working with some families and are ready and willing to work with more families. Now is the time to capitalise on recent successes in reducing child homelessness by not forgetting those children for whom a home is still a distant dream.”
ENDS
For further information, please contact:
Barnardos Press Office: 01 7080442 / 086 0445966
Trudy McCarthy; 01 7080423