It is in the backdrop of the highest number of homeless people ever recorded in the state that NOVAS launches its 2022 annual report. In this year, the organisation supported 6,088 people. This is an increase of 1.8% from the previous twelve months and 202% over a ten-year period.

The report, launched today, Friday 27^th of October, by the Minster for State in the Department of Housing, Kieran O Donnell, showed that people where supported across a range of innovative services including tenancy sustainment, family support, street outreach and temporary homeless accommodation. It was in the latter services that the greatest challenges arose, as fewer people were able to access emergency accommodation because of the protracted length of time people spent living there. A lack of housing, particularly one-bed units, has made exit pathways from homelessness extraordinarily difficult.

NOVAS’ CEO Una Deasy commented that ‘single adults spend too long stuck in homeless accommodation with the system becoming blocked and people newly presenting as homeless unable to access the services they need. The opportunities for people to move from homeless accommodation are becoming increasingly scarce as the private rented market continues to contract’. Demonstrating this point, NOVAS’ 2022 Annual Report highlights that in their women’s services in Dublin the number of residents able to access accommodation dropped from 333 to 224 from 2014 to 2022, despite more than doubling capacity during the same period. Similarly, in 2018 in Limerick, their Temporary Emergency Provision (TEP) supported 320 individuals across the twelve-month period but last year just 181 people were able to access accommodation there.

Helen McInerney is one of the residents in TEP. She is 54 years old and has been homeless for 15 months, unable to access appropriate housing. Before this she lived in the private rented market her whole life until her landlord decided to sell her apartment. Helen explains that she never thought she would be homeless; ‘I lived independently my whole life without any issues’. She describes the ‘daily struggles’ she faces and the devastating impact being homeless has had on her familial relationships. ‘I have nowhere to meet my grandchildren. Now we meet on a street corner. It is devastating. I can’t wait until I can cook for them again, have them over, be a meaningful part of their lives’.

The solution to this crisis is more housing. Deasy says ‘we urgently need an accelerated supply of one-bedroom units of social housing and simultaneous protections in the private market until sufficient housing comes on stream’. NOVAS is playing its part and today launched a development of eight one-bed units in Limerick city, where people will move directly from homeless services.

Minister Kieran O’ Donnell said: ‘Reducing and preventing homelessness remains a top priority for the Government. ‘Housing for All’ recognises the challenges of homelessness and sets out actions to support and to exit homelessness’. Minister O’Donnell described this new development as ‘an excellent demonstration of partnership between the Department of Housing, the local authority and NOVAS, whereby vacant properties were transformed into vibrant city-centre homes, giving people a home for life, an excellent standard of accommodation and a new sense of security.’ He said ‘the department was committed to working with local authorities and approved housing bodies to generate more opportunities like this throughout the country’.

The Newenham Street apartments are the first Georgian redevelopment that has achieved an A3 BER rating and provides city-centre housing in previous derelict properties. It is an excellent demonstration of effective use of our existing built environment.

The full report can be read here

NOVAS welcome many measures in Budget 2024 but have concerns with lack of targeted plans to address the unprecedented housing and homeless crisis.  

This afternoon, Tuesday 10^th of October, the government announced its budget, seeking to address the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, child poverty and the protracted housing and homeless emergency. While there have been many welcome measures including specific incentives and protections relating to the private rented sector and ring-fenced funding for treatment and other health measures for homeless people, there is no increase in HAP payments and no explicit additional funding for existing homeless services. 

Today the government announced additional tax relief for small landlords, who commit to staying in the market until 2028. Simultaneously, tax credits for renters have increased from €500 to €750. NOVAS’ CEO, Una Deasy welcomes both of the measures as a means of ‘stabilising the market, while also seeking to address the financial burden for renters’, however, she noted that ‘it would have been desirable if the tax credits were attached to conditions relating to security of tenure and better standards of accommodation, as suggested in NOVAS’ pre-budget submission.’ ‘In the last year alone, there has been a reduction of 15,000 tenancies in the private rented market and these limited interventions, while welcome, will do little to address the shortfall.’ 

While increased tax credits for renters is helpful to people who do not receive rent supports, it does not consider the large top-ups many renters in receipt of HAP are forced to pay, as the gulf between HAP rates and actual cost of renting grows. On this point, additional increases in HAP payments, while not a long-term solution, would have enabled low-income households to compete more equitably for scare rental property, while social housing supply is ramped up. Topping up HAP payments has become a sector-wide norm and pushes low-income households into further poverty.

NOVAS welcome once-off social welfare measures in Budget 2024, particularly additional supports aimed at ending Child Poverty, including a double payment in universal child benefit, the extension of child benefit to children over 18 in full-time education as well as targeted additional payments for children and households with additional needs and at greater risk of poverty. Deasy noted that these measuress are ‘important steps in addressing child poverty however sustained funding would have been more impactful in breaking the cycle of poverty and more targeted interventions for the almost 4,000 children who are currently homeless was essential to mitigating the trauma these children experience on a daily basis’. Suggested interventions include ‘assigning dedicated child support workers, support in accessing school and other vital services for children in homeless accommodation and a commitment to reduce the length of time families live in emergency homeless accommodation.’ 

While it was heartening to learn that the government’s housing targets for the year are likely to be exceeded, it is a missed opportunity that such targets were not upwardly revised considering the worsening homeless crisis.  

We warmly welcome the increased tax on vacant properties as part of Budget 2024. This measure is directed at increasing availability of housing and maximising the potential of our existing built environment. The use of vacant properties in our towns and cities, often situated above retail property, has the potential to house single homeless people, through models such as Housing First. Considering the length of time single people spend homeless, this is a very welcome development. 

This budget signals a commitment by government to substantially increase the supply of social and affordable housing. This is positive, however, until this supply comes on stream, we must protect existing supply in the private rented market and the tenants who live in these properties as homeless figures reach unprecedented levels. We must prevent homelessness occurring in the first instance.

NOVAS’ 2024 Pre-Budget Submission urges government to increase funding for prevention services, increase housing supply, particularly for one-bed units of accommodation and to commit to sufficiently fund the delivery of homeless services and support.

The organisation has called on government for a simultaneous approach of increasing the supply of social and affordable housing through new builds and the accelerated use of vacant and other-purpose dwellings, while also investing in prevention support and serivces. This approach will create sustainable pathways from homelessness while also reducing the number of households becoming homeless to begin with.

NOVAS’ full Pre-Budget Submission, can be read here.

Today, the Heath Research Board presented the latest national data on drug related deaths in Ireland at the Citizens Assembly on Drugs Use. The data revealed that Ireland has one of the highest rates of deaths by overdose or poisoning as well as non-poisoning drug related deaths in the EU. This is the first time since 2017 that such data has been made available in Ireland and the grim findings show that 409 people died of poisoning and in the region of 400 of non-poisoning, including 109 by hanging. These are the highest figures ever reported. The people who died were young, primarily under 45 years, indicating the burden of premature mortality on people who use drugs. More women than previously died by poisoning  and more than 50% had an underlying mental health issue.

Julie McKenna, NOVAS’ Senior Health and Recovery Manager described the data ‘as deeply troubling’. She said that for people working in the sector the data confirmed their fears relating to the number of drug-related deaths in Ireland. She noted the devastating impact these deaths have on families, communities and our wider society and that this high number of deaths is despite much wider use of naloxone, a medicine that rapidly reverses opioid overdose, in drugs and homeless services since 2017.’ She described the importance of harm reduction techniques such as the administration of naloxone in saving lives; ‘we need to reduce the harm caused by taking drugs and incorporate the lived experience of drug users and their families in responding to addiction and promoting recovery. Here in NOVAS we roll out a peer-led overdose prevention and response programme with our clients, many of whom have prevented overdose and saved lives in our homeless services and in the wider community.’

McKenna called for an integrated, cross-departmental government response to the findings. She urged ‘an immediate shift on how we view and respond to addiction in Ireland. It needs to be tackled from a health-led perspective, with emphasis on recovery and treatment, rather than an approach led by the criminal justice system. This will reduce the stigma and shame surrounding drug use and encourage people in addiction to seek support and treatment earlier. It will transform how we respond to drug use in this country, which right now is wholly inadequate and simply does not work. These finding tell us that.’

Drug use and patterns have become more complex with poly-drug use of a variety of substances becoming increasingly common. Dual diagnosis of mental health and addiction must be treated in tandem so that clients are not bounced from mental health to addiction services, while their health deteriorates and they remain untreated. This is deeply traumatizing for clients and compounds feelings of shame and alienation often associated with addiction. More targeted funding, more treatment and post-treatment support and accommodation is necessary. Viewing addiction as a health issue is fundamental to effectively responding to people who use drugs.

ENDS

Note for editors

NOVAS set up its first service in Ireland in 2002. Funded by the HSE and the Department of Housing, it provides services for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, in addiction or on the margins of society. We are an Approved Housing Body, providing social housing in the areas we work.

For Further information, contact Una Burns on 061 370325, 083 1083726 or una.burns@novas.ie

Mayor of Limerick, Cllr. Francis Foley welcomed recent graduates of TOPPLE (The Overdose Prevention Peer Learning Experience) to the Limerick City Hall chambers with members of their families to present them with certificates of achievement to mark their graduation from this life saving NOVAS training programme.

NOVAS Health & Recovery Manager Julie McKenna explained that “TOPPLE was developed by NOVAS to teach clients how to recognise the signs of a potential overdose, how to alert emergency services, how to provide immediate first aid and importantly, how to support someone who has recently experienced an overdose to prevent a reoccurrence. She noted that the value of TOPPLE was recognized when it won the Best Patient Lifestyle Education Award at the Irish Healthcare Awards in 2014.’

Sadly drug related deaths in Ireland are three times higher than the European average according to the most recent statistics. 48% of drug related deaths in Ireland were a direct result of poisoning by overdose and the rest resulted from other medical emergencies such as heart failure resulting from drug use. Three in five deaths from drug use occurred while a person was alone.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, Una Deasy, CEO of NOVAS said “We are so proud of the effort these clients have put into developing their skills and we know from experience that these clients will go on to save lives in their community. Understanding how to reduce harm, keep people safe and share the knowledge they have learned will have huge knock on impacts”