Mr. Se?n Moynihan:

I thank the Chair and committee members for inviting us here today. In 2023, ALONE provided support to more than 36,000 older people, 12,000 of whom were new to our service. Support with housing issues was the highest area of need. We provided 535 interventions to support older people who were homeless or at risk of homelessness. Homelessness and housing issues among older people has been steadily increasing for the past ten years. The number accessing emergency accommodation does not include older people experiencing a housing crisis who have received notices to quit and are struggling to find somewhere new, those who are staying on friends’ sofas, those sleeping in cars or caravans and those living in cheaper rental accommodation in fear of a notice to quit, all of whom we are seeing in ALONE.

We are sure the members present have seen older people in similar situations through their constituency work. As well as the increases in homelessness we are seeing, the number of older people privately renting has increased, the number of older people in need of local authority housing has increased, homeownership rates are dropping, and homeownership in retirement is not a guarantee. The ESRI reckons that only 65% of current 35- to 44-year-olds will own a house on retirement while the rate of older people living alone in mortgage arrears is also increasing. This is against the backdrop of Ireland as one of the most rapidly ageing EU member states, with a pension system based around homeownership, and without the culture of provision of sheltered housing for older people in other jurisdictions. This all means we will see more homelessness among older people unless we can decide who will pay the rent when they retire.

The population figures indicate that within the next 20 years we will need at least double the levels of social housing suitable for older people. We, in ALONE, are concerned that not enough is being done to prevent increasing levels of homelessness among older people and a worsening crisis in the coming years.

There are more than 2,000 people aged over 70 on the social housing waiting list, which is the highest figure on record. Despite that, several local authorities do not include targets for the development of housing for older people in their housing development action plans. This is not entirely the fault of all local authorities and some local authorities are doing better in this regard. However, there is a lack of proactive policy at a national level for housing delivery for older people whereas local authorities are the only hope for older people for safety and the security of tenure.

The market will not provide housing for older people who do not have the income profile it seeks or requires and may also need additional requirements in design and quality. This is outlined in the action plans themselves. One council’s action plan notes: "The market is not constructing specifically designed accessible units to Universal Design standards so accessible units will be difficult to obtain."

Older people dependent on pensions and in a housing crisis do not present a lucrative investment opportunity for developers and, therefore, housing will not be independently developed for them unless developers are incentivised or regulated to do so. Without significant changes, we cannot depend on social housing development via turnkey and Part V. We believe that we need at least 25% of social housing to be developed and ring-fenced for older people to prevent homelessness among older people now and in the future. This is approximately 40,000 users.

We await the commitment to review the capital assistance scheme, CAS, as per the joint policy statements for housing options for older people. In 2022, just 176 age-friendly homes were delivered under CAS nationwide which is less than six houses per local authority. We need to create future plans for the development of a funding mechanism for housing with support models and include targets within local authority development plans. This and all our proposals will provide housing for both young and old, and increase the housing stock for all.

In respect of challenges being experienced by older renters, we must recognise that increasing numbers of older renters are particularly at risk of homelessness. Our report with Threshold is entitled Double Deficit: Older and Ageing Persons in the Irish Private Rental Sector and was published last May. One of the conclusions of the report was that Ireland’s private rental sector is not an appropriate tenure choice for older people. By and large it is not affordable, accessible, suitable or secure. For this report, older people told us, “Landlords are not interested in me, they won’t accept HAP, they’re not willing to take a chance on a pensioner.”

We ask one thing today. How will a 45-year-old renter pay rent on retirement, or will they be able to afford to retire? We still await the publication of the committed to review of the rental sector that might form some part of the answer and identify parts of the problem that need to be resolved.

To conclude, homelessness and housing is a terrible challenge no matter what age a person is but it is at its severest when a person is in his or her 70s, 80s and beyond with health difficulties, disability or frailty. We cannot address homelessness among older people without addressing the underlying issues of social housing delivery and the provision of appropriate supports and security in the private rental sector. We need the following actions to be progressed if we are to prevent a further homelessness crisis: the ring-fencing of 25% of social housing for older people; a review and update of the CAS; publication of the review of the private rental sector; a review and to complete the actions outstanding from the policy statements entitled the Housing Options for Our Ageing Population; and to complete the actions recommended in our report, Double Deficit.