Youth homelessness in the State decreased by 25 per cent last year, according to figures published yesterday.
The figures are contained in the Government's Youth Homelessness Strategy, which shows that 588 children and teenagers presented themselves as homeless to health boards across the State in 2000 compared to 774 the previous year. More than 60 of them were under 12 years of age and overall more girls than boys found themselves homeless. The majority - over 45 per cent - were in the eastern region.
The single most frequent cause of homelessness among those seeking services was family problems, followed by emotional or behavioural problems and physical abuse of the child. Other reasons included neglect, pregnancy, sexual abuse or parents abusing drugs and/or alcohol.
The report acknowledges that the figures do not include homeless young people who do not seek health board assistance. It describes this phenomenon as "hidden homelessness".
Father Peter McVerry, a campaigner for homeless young people in Dublin, said that the 25 per cent reduction surprised him, as he was aware of only seven extra beds being provided in Dublin for homeless children over the past 18 months.
He said the problem was that only those who presented as homeless got "some sort of service" and no attempt was made to seek out the children who do not come looking for health board help. "In my view, there are substantial numbers of young people in suburban areas of Dublin who are not presenting as homeless because there are no local services available to them", he said.
Ms Hanafin said that the primary goal of the strategy was to reduce and, if possible, eliminate youth homelessness through preventative strategies and, where a child becomes homeless, to ensure that the child benefits from a comprehensive range of services aimed at reintegration into their community as quickly as possible.
She said that the Government had expanded services for young homeless people in Dublin, Cork and Limerick over the past 12 months, but that much more needed to be done.
The strategy requires each health board to develop a two-year strategic plan to address youth homelessness within the next three months. It also requires a range of other bodies in the public sector, including schools, the National Education Welfare Board, local authorities, and city and county development boards to either support the actions of health boards or take specific steps themselves.