DEFINITION
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence. The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country to country, or among different entities or institutions in the same country or region.
The term homeless may also include people whose primary night-time residence is in ahomeless shelter, a warming center, a domestic violence shelter or other ad hoc housing situation.
Scenario in Ireland:
Every three years Irish local authorities assess the numbers of homeless people in their area, as part of the Department of Environment, Heritage and LocalGovernment's Assessment of Housing Need. The most recent national figures from this survey show that in 2005 there were 2,399 homeless people in need of housing. This figure includes only those on local authority housing lists who have declared themselves to be homeless.
In 2008, the Homeless Agency conducted a survey of homelessness in Dublin. It counted 2366 people homeless in the city, of whom 110 were sleeping rough.
Labour TD, Eamon Gilmore recently claimed that over 1,000 young people were homeless in the Greater Dublin area, and according to Roughan MacNamara of Focus Ireland, at least 100 of them are sleeping out on their own.
FACTORS LEADING TO HOMELESSNESS
Poverty, caused by many factors including unemployment and underemployment.
Lack of accessible healthcare. People who have some kind of chronic and weakening disease but cannot get healthcare either because they don't have money to afford it or because the government will not give it to them are simply too weak to go and work every day.
Lack of accessible healthcare. People who have some kind of chronic and weakening disease but cannot get healthcare either because they don't have money to afford it or because the government