Elderly people who are renting are at increased risk of becoming homeless, a national charity has warned.
Those on pensions in the private rental sector are also now struggling with the enhanced cost of living.
Wayne Stanley, national spokesperson for the Simon Communities of Ireland, said: “The cost of living has deepened the homelessness crisis in that we’re starting to see some changes in the people that are coming into it.
“We’re starting to see an older demographic presenting at risk of homelessness.
“There are people on pensions within the private rental market.
“We’re seeing growing numbers of young people at risk of homelessness as well.
“The structural part of the cost-of-living crisis is being driven by increasing rents, with no way for younger and older people to increase their incomes in line with how the rents are going up.”
Mr Stanley said food services offered by the charity are also witnessing a surge from renters.
He added: “While the trend of people presenting at our food services isn’t homelessness itself, it shows the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and what people have had to resort to.”
A recent study by Social Justice Ireland revealed almost one in five people are currently living in poverty.
The research suggested that renters are the most likely group in Irish society to face financial difficulty.
Recent homelessness figures have also hit pre-pandemic levels with over 10,000 people now without a permanent roof over their head.
Mr Stanley noted these figures by the Department of Housing do not take into account the phenomena of “hidden homelessness”, which he believes could conceivably double the official figures.
He said: “People are continuously presenting the reason for them being homeless as family break-up when actually if you go through their history, they’ve lost their home through the rental market.
“They’ve then gone to stay with family and friends and what was supposed to be a short-term arrangement ends up becoming long-term.
“The dynamic then breaks up 12, maybe 18 months down the line.
“It’s described as a family break-up but the truth is they’ve lost their accommodation due to the private rental market.”
Mr Stanley said addressing the issue of vacant and derelict properties would help ease the demand and enable
local authorities to plan ahead when constructing social housing.
He added: “If we capture some of those derelict properties, on lease or purchase for people who are at risk of homelessness, then we can make a really significant inroad.”
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