Understanding Homelessness in Ireland Since Independence

Eoin O’Sullivan is Professor in Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin. Mike Allen is Director of Advocacy, Research and Communications at Focus Ireland. Sarah Sheridan is an Independent Researcher and Adjunct Lecturer in the School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin.

• Introduction: Colonial inheritances1. Poor Laws, the family economy and housing policy, 1922–19482. The end of the Poor Laws, economic development and modernisation, 1948–19633. Housing policy, housing agitation and the emergence of the homelessness sector, 1964–19814. Two housing bills and one act, 1981–19885. From the implications of the Housing Act to local partnerships on homelessness, 1989-19976. A decade of strategies, the Celtic Tiger and austerity, 1997–20117. From austerity to economic recovery, 2011–20168. Homelessness becomes a ‘national crisis’, 2016–20209. Pandemic, migration and a housing crisis, 2020– 202410. Conclusion: Reflections on Homelessness in Ireland

'"Understanding Homelessness in Ireland Since Independence" ends on a surprisingly positive note, with the authors insisting that a "genuine collaboration" between key State agencies can wipe it out by 2036. It's essential reading for anyone with a role to play in breaking this vicious cycle.' The Irish Times