Midlands Homelessness Continues To Rise

Half of those currently homeless in the Midlands fall into the 25-44 age bracket.

Homelessness is on the rise again in the midlands.

The Department of Housing's latest figures show there were 234 people in the region who accessed emergency accommodation in December.

The number of people considered homeless in Laois, Offaly, and Westmeath last month is 4% higher than in November.

This follows a 20% jump from October to November.

169 adults accessed emergency accommodation in the region last month, 78% in Westmeath, 62% in Offaly, and 29% in Laois.

65 children were also registered as homeless in the midlands, which represents a 38%  increase on the month previous.

The department offer an age band breakdown of those accessing emergency accommodation - 50% of those in the region are aged 25 to 44, 30% are aged 45 to 64, 15% of those considered homeless were aged 18 to 24, while the seven homeless people aged 65 or over represent 3.7% of the midlands total.

Nationally, 15,199 people were without permanent accommodation last month - yet again, the highest figure on record.

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