Record homeless level revealed as EU red carpet rolled up

When the big guns are in town, the last thing a government wants to point to is the stain on its copybook.

This week, the distraction of events at the Convention Centre enabled it to quietly publish an action plan on child and family homelessness as well as the latest homeless figures.

Nothing to see here EU friends, just over 18,000 in emergency accommodation and an action plan to tackle the record number of homeless children and families.

In the last 12 years, homeless figures have grown from almost 4,000 to over 18,000. When the Department of Housing began publishing its monthly homeless figures in 2014, there were 749 homeless children.

Today, almost 6,000 children live in emergency accommodation - the impact on their growth and development, exhaustively documented.

An action plan to tackle the issue was proposed last year when the Government delivered a housing plan up to 2030.

That event was attended by the Housing Minister James Browne, Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Simon Harris, and junior ministers, complete with hi-vis jackets and hard hats.

In contrast, the child and family homelessness action plan published this week was simply published on the Government's website with an email alerting the media that it was there.

The plan was created in part by consulting homeless children, to find out their priorities, which was a correct and positive approach, but the manner of its publication meant that work and more importantly the children, went unacknowledged.

The response to the plan from advocacy groups, who were informed one hour ahead of its publication, was mixed.

The Children's Rights Alliance had called for an extra €20m to implement the action plan, which came to fruition, but critics pointed out that it was a drop in the ocean.

It will go towards prevention, protection, and progression to support children and families in or at risk of homelessness, however, the absence of binding targets to reduce the number of children in emergency accommodation came into question.

Two days later, September's homeless figures were published.

Data had been impacted by the industrial relations action, which meant the figures could not be published as usual on the last Friday in October.

So, as EU Ministers boarded flights to leave Ireland, September's figures landed on Friday showing over 18,000 people were in emergency accommodation.

There's no doubt that each time homeless figures increase by 1,000, it refocuses attention. Therefore, the milestones are something the Government could do without.

The timing of last night's figures resulted in a muted reaction, apart from statements from the Simon Communities, Dublin Simon and the Social Democrats TD Rory Hearne who accused the Government of burying the figures late on a Friday night.

Read more:

Number of people in emergency accommodation surpasses 18,000 for first time

The timing of publication offered a brief reprieve and breathing space following the busiest week of the EU Presidency.

But when the red carpet is rolled up at the Convention Centre, domestic politics remains, and there is no doubt the Government will be challenged over the latest homeless figures.

With child homelessness on the cusp of 6,000, winter is already here, bringing the seasonal surge that typically pushes the homeless figures higher.