Homelessness in Cork
Deputy Ó Laoghaire said homelessness in Cork was worsening sharply and challenged Government claims that the housing strategy was working. The Taoiseach accepted there was a serious and more complex homelessness problem, pointed to Housing First and other supports, and said extra resources were being directed to families.
Tá an ghéarchéim daoine gan dídean imithe thar fóir go hiomlán. The Taoiseach might have seen the launch of Cork Simon's annual report. He insists to us that the Government's housing strategy is working, whether it is Homes for All or Rebuilding Ireland, yet everything keeps going up in terms of homelessness. Cork Simon has been operating since the early 1970s. In its 55 years, it has never had a higher average of people requiring its supports. There are more people in emergency accommodation than ever, with 679 in Cork. That is probably going to go up next Friday; we could nearly set our clocks by it. It is getting worse by every metric, with an increase in people requiring outreach and in those requiring meals. Does the Taoiseach accept that this is completely unacceptable and that it is a stain on our society that so many people are homeless? Will he reinstate the previous funding position of tenant in situ to stop more people going into homelessness?
Comment on this
Without question, tá fadhb ann ó thaobh daoine gan dídean de. Níl aon dabht faoi sin. It is a much more complex situation than it would have been five or ten years ago. There are far wider pressures on emergency accommodation today than there were. I do not want to go into all of the details but that is clear. It is a factor. We worked with Cork Simon and other homeless agencies in respect of Housing First, which was a very effective response to homelessness, and a better one perhaps than tenant in situ. Tenant in situ works when it is focused on the homeless and people who are just about to be made homeless, to prevent that. It got used more broadly than that, which was problematic, but now it is back on course. We are continuing to resource it.
Comment on this
That is not the case at all.
Comment on this
I have spoken to the various homeless agencies and they would acknowledge that the nature and composition of those seeking emergency accommodation is very different now. What the Minister is doing immediately is securing additional resources for families to make sure they are accelerated out of emergency accommodation as quickly as possible.