Homelessness: Housing people in glamping pods labeled as ‘desperate’

A spokesperson for the Housing Executive said the pods would only be used in the short term and were needed due to the unprecedented demand for social housing.

The number of people placed in temporary housing increased from 4,527 in 2020 to 16,943 in 2023, the spokesperson said.

The pods, they continued, are used to house “smaller households of singles or couples who present as homeless.”

“We only use this facility as a last resort when all other options have been exhausted and for a short period of time, when there are more suitable options closer to the presenter’s area of ​​choice,” the spokesperson said.

“The accommodation is warm and comfortable, including laundry facilities, and those placed there have full access to the general facilities of the hotel as normal guests.”

The housing agency said people agree to be placed there, and the pods are used to allow people to be housed close to their family and only if “no other options are available”.