Housing officer says homelessness ‘getting bigger’ in Mayo

Housing staff ‘constantly battling to keep people off the streets’

Anton McNulty

The number of homeless is growing and only going to get worse, according to a senior official with Mayo County Council.
In July, 17 homeless presentations were made to Mayo County Council. Speaking at last week’s meeting of Mayo County Council’s Housing SPC, Head of Housing Paul Benson revealed these presentations were made up of 21 adults and ten children. Eight families were in long-term emergency accommodation, he said.
Benson revealed that he expects the total number of Mayo homeless presentations to reach 200 for the year. He said the staff in the housing office were ‘constantly battling to keep people off the streets’, and that the problem could be a lot worse were it not for their efforts.

Conveyor belt
“It is like a conveyor belt; it has to keep moving because if it stalls it gets backed up [and] everyone is in trouble,” he told members of the SPC. “What that figure doesn’t tell you is the amount of work it took to prevent people becoming homeless through the Tenancy Sustainment Office. We only got that resource 18 months ago and without the great work of the officer, the number would be a lot higher.
“We are containing the number as best we can at the moment, but the problem is getting bigger,” he said.
The Chairman of the Housing SPC, Cllr Gerry Ginty, described the homeless situation as shocking. The Ballina-based independent added that there is a problem with objections to social-housing projects in certain areas, and he suggested that the council embark on a PR campaign to allay people’s fears.
“I think the council needs to do a PR job to assure people that the developments going to take place will be good developments and good for the town and the people. I would say to anyone objecting to the building of social houses, ‘Your son or daughter may very well be in need of social houses in five or ten years’.
“Things have changed, people are not able to build their own houses like they were. There are people who will be glad to get a social house who five years ago would not have contemplated the idea,” he said.
Mr Benson explained that the Council were currently supporting 1,783 households in the private rental sector in various schemes, and that the majority are seeking council accommodation. He said that in the ‘eyes of the state’ they are considered housed, but a number of these tenants are under pressure from landlords. This situation is in turn putting pressure on their housing office.

Refugees
Meanwhile, Mr Benson explained that Mayo County Council has accommodated 136 refugees so far in 2018, with a target set for 190 by year end. He said finding properties was difficult, but he stressed that the council is well ahead of its target compared to other local authorities.
“We have [homed refugees] in four different towns in Mayo – Ballina, Castlebar, Westport and Claremorris – and they are in various types of houses. We mostly bought houses in different estates, there is a couple in rented accommodation. Our preference would be to put them in properties we own so that their tenancies work. They don’t have the family supports that most people will have so it is important their tenancies are stable,” he said.