The government has finally committed to ring-fencing social housing units for our older citizens. It has been a long and grueling road to get here, but I am relieved that we can finally offer some real security to those who have been forgotten. We have to keep our eyes on …
December 5, 2015
Final supporters
ALONE ask the government to designate a portion of all social housing units for use by older people
ALONE, the charity that provides services for older people in need, have today launched their ‘homeless in all but name’ campaign, highlighting Ireland’s mounting crisis around housing our older people.
ALONE’s Annual Report, released today, reveals that over 50% of all calls received by ALONE in 2014, were directly related to homelessness or housing. The number of older people coming to ALONE in need of housing increased by 90% in 2014.
Sean Moynihan, CEO of ALONE said, “All of our services focus on supporting older people to age at home, however, in recent times, the number one issue that people have been presenting with is housing. Whether they are homeless, living in emergency accommodation, living in unsuitable or unsafe housing - housing is a critical issue for the people that we work with”.
Moynihan continued, “ALONE are asking the government to plan effectively for the housing needs of our ageing population, as a nation, we need to do better by our older people. The private rental market is simply not suitable for older people as many will have support needs as they age. If the government is serious about supporting older people to remain living in the community, we need to plan for suitable housing with supports. There should be a detailed housing strategy for our ageing population with the number social housing units ring -fenced, mirroring the population in each council area.”
“A large portion of those coming to us for support having been living in the private rental market for many years and now their landlords are increasing the rent making them unable to afford their homes” said Moynihan.
ALONE have found that most older people who become homeless in the current market, have little or no chance of securing private rented accommodation. Factors that impede older people in finding accommodation include; a lack of suitable accommodation for single people, inability to compete in the private rental market and the bias of landlords against older people.
Moynihan concluded, “We ask the government to designate a portion of all social housing units for use by older people. We need to have a system that supports older people, and allows them to pay a fair rent for accommodation that is suitable to their needs. We are failing any older person who is living in shared emergency accommodation, or who can only afford a third floor apartment despite their mobility difficulties. These are not isolated occurrences and we need to act now”.
For more information visit www.alone.ie
Updates
Reached 1,000 supporters
November 5, 2015
November 4, 2015
The wall of silence from the government remains heavy and I am exhausted by how difficult this fight has become. We are nearing a thousand signatures and I need you to push this forward because that number is our only leverage to force a response. Please keep this moving so they cannot simply look the other way.
October 18, 2015
Reaching this point has been a long grind and I am feeling the weight of the work ahead. It helps to see that so many of you recognise how much our older people are struggling to find a secure place to live.
Reached 100 supporters
October 6, 2015
195 Comments
It is a moral obligation to protect the elderly and vulnerable. It forms the very fiber of our society How, on a state pension is one suppose to pay rent and bills with the current rental costs. This is a topic that should weigh heavily in deciding the new government!
there are many older people living in rented accommodation who cannot afford a mortgage. many whom maybe working on or below the industrial wage and will not be able to afford rental accommodation as they age
The vast majority of Older People want to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible with supports in place. Resources need to be made available to Approved Housing Bodies to ensure that all Older People have access to secure accommodation in supportive and progressive communities.
So sad to think in this day and age that so many of the elderly in this country do not have a place to call home. They have spent their lives contributing to society and it is the duty of the government to look after them in their latter years if their families cannot.
increasing number of calls from older and senior people who are in danger of being evicted. Very hard to listen to their terror at possibility of losing their homes and living in homeless accommodation, h
As previous comments made, we do have a duty of care to our elderly citizens as none of us would be where we are today. We owe it to this precious generation who uphold great values & know what integrity means. The down-sized units built in the last few years ensure the elderly remain an integral cohort of each community and not side-lined.
I HAVE BEEN READING YOUR PROFILE AND IT IS A GOOD THING THAT ARE DOING.I HOPE THAT I CAN GET SOME HELP FROM THE ALONE GROUP THANKS..
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The government has finally committed to ring-fencing social housing units for our older citizens. It has been a long and grueling road to get here, but I am relieved that we can finally offer some real security to those who have been forgotten. We have to keep our eyes on …
December 5, 2015
Final supporters
ALONE ask the government to designate a portion of all social housing units for use by older people
ALONE, the charity that provides services for older people in need, have today launched their ‘homeless in all but name’ campaign, highlighting Ireland’s mounting crisis around housing our older people.
ALONE’s Annual Report, released today, reveals that over 50% of all calls received by ALONE in 2014, were directly related to homelessness or housing. The number of older people coming to ALONE in need of housing increased by 90% in 2014.
Sean Moynihan, CEO of ALONE said, “All of our services focus on supporting older people to age at home, however, in recent times, the number one issue that people have been presenting with is housing. Whether they are homeless, living in emergency accommodation, living in unsuitable or unsafe housing - housing is a critical issue for the people that we work with”.
Moynihan continued, “ALONE are asking the government to plan effectively for the housing needs of our ageing population, as a nation, we need to do better by our older people. The private rental market is simply not suitable for older people as many will have support needs as they age. If the government is serious about supporting older people to remain living in the community, we need to plan for suitable housing with supports. There should be a detailed housing strategy for our ageing population with the number social housing units ring -fenced, mirroring the population in each council area.”
“A large portion of those coming to us for support having been living in the private rental market for many years and now their landlords are increasing the rent making them unable to afford their homes” said Moynihan.
ALONE have found that most older people who become homeless in the current market, have little or no chance of securing private rented accommodation. Factors that impede older people in finding accommodation include; a lack of suitable accommodation for single people, inability to compete in the private rental market and the bias of landlords against older people.
Moynihan concluded, “We ask the government to designate a portion of all social housing units for use by older people. We need to have a system that supports older people, and allows them to pay a fair rent for accommodation that is suitable to their needs. We are failing any older person who is living in shared emergency accommodation, or who can only afford a third floor apartment despite their mobility difficulties. These are not isolated occurrences and we need to act now”.
For more information visit www.alone.ie
Updates
Reached 1,000 supporters
November 5, 2015
November 4, 2015
The wall of silence from the government remains heavy and I am exhausted by how difficult this fight has become. We are nearing a thousand signatures and I need you to push this forward because that number is our only leverage to force a response. Please keep this moving so they cannot simply look the other way.
October 18, 2015
Reaching this point has been a long grind and I am feeling the weight of the work ahead. It helps to see that so many of you recognise how much our older people are struggling to find a secure place to live.
Reached 100 supporters
October 6, 2015
195 Comments
I support this petition whole-heartedly and would wish that homes designated for older people should allow older house-owners to move to smaller accommodation near shopping and other facilities in their home locality.
It is a moral obligation to protect the elderly and vulnerable. It forms the very fiber of our society How, on a state pension is one suppose to pay rent and bills with the current rental costs. This is a topic that should weigh heavily in deciding the new government!
there are many older people living in rented accommodation who cannot afford a mortgage. many whom maybe working on or below the industrial wage and will not be able to afford rental accommodation as they age
The vast majority of Older People want to live independently in their own homes for as long as possible with supports in place. Resources need to be made available to Approved Housing Bodies to ensure that all Older People have access to secure accommodation in supportive and progressive communities.
So sad to think in this day and age that so many of the elderly in this country do not have a place to call home. They have spent their lives contributing to society and it is the duty of the government to look after them in their latter years if their families cannot.
increasing number of calls from older and senior people who are in danger of being evicted. Very hard to listen to their terror at possibility of losing their homes and living in homeless accommodation, h
As previous comments made, we do have a duty of care to our elderly citizens as none of us would be where we are today. We owe it to this precious generation who uphold great values & know what integrity means. The down-sized units built in the last few years ensure the elderly remain an integral cohort of each community and not side-lined.
I HAVE BEEN READING YOUR PROFILE AND IT IS A GOOD THING THAT ARE DOING.I HOPE THAT I CAN GET SOME HELP FROM THE ALONE GROUP THANKS..
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I support this petition whole-heartedly and would wish that homes designated for older people should allow older house-owners to move to smaller accommodation near shopping and other facilities in their home locality.