ALONE welcome Dáil Committee on Housing and Homelessness
Dublin, 20th April 2016 ALONE has expressed their hope that the Dáil Committee on Housing and Homelessness, convening for the first time today, will find effective, workable solutions to tackle the housing crisis.
Sean Moynihan, CEO of ALONE, commented “Every day in ALONE we work with vulnerable older people who need support with housing and homelessness issues. We know firsthand how serious and frightening an issue this is for the older demographic.”
“We hope to have the opportunity to work with the committee and share with them the wealth of experience and information ALONE has gathered from years of supporting vulnerable older people. 40% of the calls for support we receive are related to housing and we have been saying for years that older people are the next big housing crisis.”
“What people may not know is that there has been a huge increase in demand for 1 and 2 bed units, from 375,000 in 1991, to 850,000 by 2011. There is a long term need for units for singles and couples. These units need to be integrated and close to local communities and services.”
Moynihan concluded, “Every year Ireland has 20,000 additional older people and every year the situation grows in severity. We know what works and we know what older people need but we don’t have the resources to tackle this alone. If we can work with the committee to represent this demographic we believe that meaningful strides can be made.”
For those who have concerns about their own wellbeing, or the wellbeing of a vulnerable older person in the community, ALONE can be contacted on (01) 679 1032.
