17/06/2008

Homeless Strategy To Favours Rented Accommodation

The Government is considering a new homelessness strategy to focus on the use of private rented accommodation rather than emergency hostels.

Draft plan aims to eliminate homelessness by ensuring that homeless people are not left in emergency accommodation like B&Bs or shelters for longer than six months.

A spokesman for the homeless charity the Simon Community said: "Most recent figures for Dublin City – published in April - showed that there were 111 people sleeping rough; this represented an increase of seven on comparable figures for November 2007. Anecdotal evidence from Simon’s regional communities suggest there is increased pressure and demand for emergency accommodation."

However, the plan does not outline how much money would be needed to achieve this target.

The HSE has already frozen funding for homeless services at last year's levels, causing the postponement of several planned projects.

(DW)

Related Irish News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

26 February 2019
Govt Accused Of 'Dragging Its Heels' On Independent Inspection Regime
The government has been accused of "dragging its heels" on the introduction of a quality standards framework and an independent inspection regime for emergency accommodation.
03 May 2018
Housing Minister Accused Of 'Knowingly Manipulating Homeless Figures'
The Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy has been accused of "knowingly manipulating the March homeless figures". Sinn Féin Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin has called on the Minister to "admit that he and his Department officials instructed Councils to remove families in emergency accommodation arrangements from the March homeless figures".
15 July 2016
Govt Accused Of Letting Homeless Children 'Fall Through The Cracks'
Homeless children are "falling through the cracks of the child welfare system", Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Children and Youth Affairs, Anne Rabbitte, has said. Expressing "deep concern", Deputy Rabbitte accused the government and Tusla of failing to address "the crisis of child homelessness which is gripping the country".
31 March 2016
Parties Refusing To Talk To Each Other 'Farcical' - SF
Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil's refusal to talk to each other has been described as a "farce" and is "impeding TDs from doing their jobs", Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane has said.
30 October 2018
CSO Must Take Over Publication Of Homelessness Data - SF
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) must take over the publication of homelessness figures as the Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy can "no longer be trusted", Sinn Féin Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin TD has said.