Dublin City Council's spring count of people sleeping rough in Dublin city identified 91 individuals.
It was carried out over the week of March 28th to April 3rd.
It's a drop of 27% - or 34 people - on the same period last year, when 125 people were identified to be sleeping rough in the city.
The majority of people are male and aged between 26 and 45.
31% are using tents.
94% of rough sleepers had accessed emergency accommodation within the previous week.
It is a reduction of 3 people (3%) on the Winter Count 2021, when 94 people were found to be rough sleeping.
The count was arranged by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) and carried out by the Dublin Simon Community Outreach Team and supported by the Peter McVerry Trust Housing First Intake Team. Additional Outreach workers were deployed to ensure intense coverage of city centre areas. Staff in all four Dublin local authorities and An Garda Síochána provided additional information about people who were rough sleeping, especially those in isolated areas.
Of the 91 people met rough sleeping, 72 had previously been assessed by the DRHE for homeless services, and the remaining 19 persons were being actively engaged with by the Outreach team be assessed by homeless services.
Report on week-long assessment of people sleeping rough in the Dublin region March 28th - April 3rd, 2022 Spring Counthttps://t.co/iadJXaXbJc
— Homeless Dublin (@HomelessDublin) April 19, 2022
A spokesperson says: "The number of people rough sleeping in the Dublin Region changes from night to night. While there is a core group who regularly sleep rough, and may or may not engage with services, there is a larger group that move between rough sleeping, accessing emergency accommodation, sleeping in insecure accommodation, and staying with family or friends.
"Others may engage in rough sleeping for a very brief transitional period. Conducting this count over a one-week period provides more information on the different experiences of people who engage in rough sleeping."
Pat Doyle, CEO of Peter McVerry Trust says: “We are delighted to see a 27% reduction year-on-year on the number of people who have been recorded as sleeping rough in Dublin. The Spring Rough Sleeper Count provides a valuable insight, not just on the number of people sleeping rough but also, to their history of engaging with services. It helps ensure that people who may not have linked with services previously are picked up by the street counters."
We are delighted to see a 27% year on year reduction in the number of people sleeping rough in Dublin. https://t.co/47ODHS5pQ6
— Peter McVerry Trust (@PMVTrust) April 19, 2022
Dublin Simon Community says: "We welcome today’s publication of the Spring 2022 Rough Sleeping Count by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive. The report found 91 people to be sleeping rough in Dublin, which represents a 27% reduction on Spring 2021 and a further reduction on Winter 2021.
We welcome today’s publication of the Spring 2022 Rough Sleeping Count by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive. The report found 91 people to be sleeping rough in Dublin, which represents a 27% reduction on Spring 2021 and a further reduction on Winter 2021. 1/5
— Dublin Simon (@Dublin_Simon) April 19, 2022
"While the reduction is positive, and a testament to the cooperation between the Dublin Simon Outreach team and DRHE, the number of people sleeping out on the city’s streets is still far too high. Nobody should have to sleep rough, and our Outreach team will continue to engage with those who remain to provide housing options, referral to critical treatment services, address barriers to accepting accommodation, advocating on their behalf with partners across the sector."
Follow @98FM online for all the latest news
