'Working but can't afford to rent'- 20% in homeless shelters have jobs but can't afford rent

[antiestablishmentarian]

A shocking article in the Examiner about how a fair portion of the homeless are actually working and holding down jobs but can't afford to pay their rent. This came after a HSE review discovered that 20% of those living in hostels are ineligible for medical cards because they are working.


ONE in five people living in homeless hostels are working but are being forced to use the shelters to sleep in because they cannot afford to pay rent.
The startling discovery was made when a review of homeless people’s medical cards was undertaken by the HSE’s social inclusion division. It concluded that 20% of people in homeless accommodation did not qualify for a medical card because they were working.


Read more: http://examiner.ie/ireland/20-of-people-in-homeless-shelters-have-jobs-179475.html#ixzz1ix17IR7f

This is the race to the bottom reaching its logical conclusion.

[DCon]

How many unoccupied houses in Ghost Estates are slowly falling apart as nobody is living in them?

[antiestablishmentarian]

How many unoccupied houses in Ghost Estates are slowly falling apart as nobody is living in them?
As far as I know there's precedent for homeless people taking over a vacant property and using it as their dwelling without any legal ramifications. Perhaps homeless organisations should be looking at some way of getting vacant properties turned over for use by the homeless.

[TotalMayhem]

20% of people in homeless accommodation did not qualify for a medical card

But TDs qualify for social housing...

Expect a lot more people to join the ranks of the homeless soon:

Half of families struggle to pay bills as budget cuts bite (http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/half-of-families-struggle-to-pay-bills-as-budget-cuts-bite-179477.html)


FAMILIES are digging deep to try to keep up with household bills and nearly half look like dropping health insurance and other vital expenses as a range of budget cuts take effect.

[LGriff27]

The HSE survey is allegedly based on a study of medical card aplications,though we've yet to hear anything from the HSE on how they gathered their figures. "20% of applications by homeless poeople turned down because they have jobs" Having a job does not prohibit awarding a medical card... there is a startling lack of detail here.

[Baron von Biffo]

The data on which this article is based were produced by a HSE trawl to cut off medical cards. We should be cautious in assessing the claims made.

[LGriff27]

That's what I'm thinking. If those surveyed didn't provide "signing details" or didn't reply to the questionaire they were probably deemed to be working. HSE magic-thinking at work here .

[Baron von Biffo]

That's what I'm thinking. If those surveyed didn't provide "signing details" or didn't reply to the questionaire they were probably deemed to be working. HSE magic-thinking at work here .

Absolutely. Figures produced by the HSE that support HSE objectives are to be distrusted in the absence of independent corroboration.