Taoiseach Simon Harris has been criticised for comments he made over the weekend about links between immigration rates and the levels of homelessness, with even President Michael D Higgins weighing in on the topic.
The Irish Refugee Council described Mr Harris’s comments as “problematic and not logical.”
However, a spokesperson for the Taoiseach said on Monday he was “actually pointing out the impact on numbers of people in emergency accommodation brought about by a growing population and increased migration.”
So what was said, and what are the facts?
The issue began with comments Taoiseach Simon Harris’s made in an interview with The Sunday Times.
“People understand the fact that homelessness numbers are heavily impacted by the fact we are seeing many people seek protection in our country, seek asylum in our country and many people come from abroad hoping to have a new future in Ireland and immigration, it has many, many pluses, but it has had a challenge there,” he said.
Immediately, some organisations focused on migration and opposition TDs took issue.
Their criticism has focused in particular – but have not been limited to – the Taoiseach saying “people understand the fact that homelessness numbers are heavily impacted by the fact we are seeing many people seek protection in our country…”
They point out that international protection applicants are not included in the homelessness numbers.
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy labelled the comments a “shameful dog whistle” and the Social Democrats’ Gary Gannon TD called them an attempt to “scapegoat international protection applicants” for the government’s “own failures.”
Nick Henderson from the Irish Refugee Council said he has “significant concerns” about the comments. Adding that suggesting there’s “a heavy link between people seeking protection and homelessness, we think is just not reflected in the figures.”
Later on Sunday, Mr Harris, was asked about his comments, and a subsequent response to them from President Michael D Higgins. The President had been asked if he believed the homelessness crisis was linked to immigration, and said “no, I do not.”
Mr Harris defended his statements in New York on Sunday, this time he spoke about people leaving the direct provision system specifically as well as the wider rate of migration. His earlier comments had sparked criticism due to his linking of the homelessness trend with “people seeking protection.”
“There is an absolute direct link in our figures that are published monthly between people exiting direct provision and people presenting at homeless services,” Mr Harris said.
“There is no doubt that there is a link between the migration challenge we face and the homeless challenge — not the entirety of homelessness, of course.”
“But if you look at the figures, for example, for the month of July in Dublin, the single biggest reason people gave for presenting at Dublin homeless services was exiting direct provision.”
Some observers said it appeared to them that blame for the homelessness rate was being unfairly linked to migration and migrants.
“The government in 2014 was the first to declare a family homelessness crisis.” Wayne Stanley of Simon Communities Ireland told Prime Time. “That’s ten years ago. We’ve been grappling with getting ahead of that crisis for the last ten years… that has predated any of the significant migration that we’ve seen.”
The figures
Typically, the monthly homelessness figures from the Department of Housing are the measure by which homelessness rates are assessed in the media and policy-making circles.
They represent the number of people accessing emergency accommodation provided by local authorities.
Individuals who apply for international protection here, or who are currently living in direct provision centres or IPAS accommodation, are not entitled to local authority housing supports, and cannot access homeless accommodation.
They are therefore not included in those monthly homelessness figures.
The Department of Integration is separately responsible for housing international protection applicants.
The monthly homelessness figures have been steadily growing since the pandemic and have been a point of criticism from organisations and opposition politicians who say they indicate not enough is being done to address the homelessness crisis.
The Minister for Integration, Roderic O’Gorman, was also asked about the Taoiseach’s comments on Monday. He said there is a “need to stick to the facts” on the links between migration and homelessness.
“The whole reason that my department has led our response to the people fleeing Ukraine and people fleeing seeking international protection is to ensure that our response to those vulnerable people is undertaken in a way that does not in any way impact the Department of Housing’s ability to implement Housing for All and its ability to deal with immediate homelessness situations,” he said.
On Monday evening, with a comment in a Sunday newspaper interview now beginning to spiral into something more significant, a spokesperson for Mr Harris issued a further statement.
This statement cited figures from the CSO and Dublin Region Homeless Executive, as well as the Department of Housing, echoing comments made to reporters by the Taoiseach.
Referring to the DRHE data, the statement said “the most recent data for May, June and July shows people leaving Direct Provision was the top reason for single adults that entered emergency accommodation in Dublin, accounting for 30% of the increase.”
In reference to the Dept of Housing numbers, it said “the most recent homelessness report… shows 46% of people in emergency accommodation are not Irish citizens – that figure has been increasing.”
The original comment from the Taoiseach to the Sunday Times referred to homelessness figures being “heavily impacted by people seeking protection,” sparking criticism.
The figures cited in the further statement relate to non-Irish citizens generally.
People who spoke to Prime Time said it is factually correct for the Taoiseach to say that “46% of people in emergency accommodation are not Irish citizens – that figure has been increasing” but noted half of that 46% are people are UK or EEA citizens, who would not need to seek asylum to remain within the State.
The other half did not necessarily seek asylum here either and may have come through the visa process, according to Nick Henderson.
“That could be people here for a variety of different reasons and does not automatically mean that those people are refugees.”
Separately, the Taoiseach is also factually correct when saying the top reason (30%) single adults gave the DHRE in May June and July for needing emergency accommodation was leaving direct provision.
In recent months, the Department of Integration has been writing to people who have been given refugee status who still living in direct provision centres and requiring them to leave. As these individuals have refugee status they are no longer asylum applicants, and would be included in the homelessness figures.
However, the DHRE provides about one third of the homelessness services nationwide, not all.
Groups like the Irish Refugee Council note that the 30% Mr Harris cites is a percentage of 224 individuals who requested emergency accommodation for the first time in those three months from the DHRE, out of the total out of 4,634 who were provided with services.
In totality, the 30% cited relates to 67 people in July, and 45 people June.
Nick Henderson says although the Taoiseach was factually correct in terms of the DHRE presentation number but that “to draw that connection with the overall 14,000 figure is wrong.”
The 14,000 refers the total number of people recorded as homeless monthly nationwide.
He added that in “this current climate, being wrong about these issues is of a concern.”
The Taoiseach’s statement issued on Monday afternoon also pointed to CSO migration data.
“The Taoiseach was factually pointing out the impact on numbers of people in emergency accommodation brought about by a growing population and increased migration,” it said.
“The CSO data published in August has shown that in the 12 months to the end of April 2024, there were 149,200 immigrants which was a 17-year high.”
Critics of the Taoiseach’s interpretation of the data say these figures relate to all migration – people entering Ireland to work, study and reunite with family, as well as people seeking international protection.
Of those immigrants, 30,000 were returning Irish citizens, 27,000 were other EU citizens, and 5,400 were UK citizens. The remaining 86,800 immigrants were citizens of other countries, many of which had permits for work or study.
Separate official figures show 40,000 non-EEA citizens who came to Ireland in 2023 had study permits, while another 30,000 had work permits.
Mike Allen, Focus Ireland’s Director of Advocacy, said that in “any country there will always be an increased housing demand arising from inward migration, natural population growth or changes in family structure, and this shouldn’t be viewed as a cause’ of increased homelessness.”
“We firmly believe that homelessness is a structural issue. The cause of the homelessness crisis in Ireland is the failure, over many years, to construct the homes that people need.”
In summary, critics of the Taoiseach’s interpretation of the data say it lacks crucial context, and that the figures since provided do not support the original statements made to the Sunday Times.
Mike Allen says “in the current social context where migrants and minorities are facing intimidation and threats on the street and in their work, it is a particularly ill-judged approach.”
Nick Henderson echoes that and says: “We strongly recommend to all politicians, all parties coming into the period of the election and generally the way this issue is perceived, that they be more careful with the language that they use and how they refer to statistics and numbers.”
