A Dublin-based domestic abuse support service has reported a 30 per cent increase in crisis accommodation support.
366 women and children were put up in either a refuge or Airbnb by Aoibhneas last year, while total interventions for women amounted to 43,848, an increase of 105 per cent. There were 8,869 for children, up 324%.
The organisation's helpline, which became freephone, answered and worked through 9,878 calls, a 9 per cent increase on the 2020 figure.
85% of clients reported experiencing physical abuse with 49 clients presenting to the refuge with injuries ranging from concussion/head trauma to broken, dislocated and fractured bones, choking, bruising and cuts, dental injuries, strains, and sprains.
Aoibhneas says the housing crisis has resulted in an increasing trend of adult child-to-parent violence, with 10 per cent of clients disclosing that their abuser was a family member.
Melanie Farrell is Chairperson of Aoibhneas;
"The figures we report today are a stark reminder of the ongoing impact of domestic abuse in our communities. We are seeing worrying trends develop as a direct result of the housing crisis; including the increase in abuse perpetrated by adult children to parents and the number of women and children returning to their abuser due to lack of alternative housing solutions."
