Is Homelessness Unfortunately Becoming Acceptable?

In light of recent claims on the perceptions of homelessness by an Irish housing charity, Thrift Urban Housing asks whether homelessness is becoming acceptable.

The Public Perception of Homelessness

As a housing charity, which seeks to help people who have the capability to help themselves with their housing needs, Thrift Urban Housing understands the public perception of homelessness. It’s not good.

Too often, the homeless are characterised as lazy, and this is why we need charities such as Thrift Urban Housing, to ensure that the homeless, who have usually just fallen on hard times, which can happen to anyone, get the help they need to get back on their feet.

The Normalisation of Homelessness

However, this perception shouldn't lead to the normalisation of homelessness, as was recently argued by Tony Geoghegan. He is the head of Ireland’s largest voluntary homeless and drug charity, Merchants Quay Ireland.

At the launch of Merchants Quay’s annual review of its services for 2013, Geoghegan suggested that homelessness has become an acceptable aspect of life in Ireland. Specifically, he said that "it has become or it seems to have become acceptable."

Homelessness in Dublin

Looking at the statistics, it seems that the Charity head has a point. Merchants Quay’s recent survey suggested that 150 people sleep rough in Dublin every night.

Furthermore, Merchants Quay revealed that last year, it provided 85,170 day and evening meals out to the homeless – this is an 11% rise.  Meanwhile, they recorded 4,467 instances where people living on the streets sought the help of a GP, nurse, dentist or counsellor through a charity. This is a 35% rise.

The Acceptance of Homelessness is Unacceptable

So is Geoghegan right, is homelessness becoming acceptable in Ireland and throughout the UK? That’s hard to measure. The numbers though, suggest that it is, and that, in Thrift Urban Housing’s opinion is distinctly unacceptable.