Homeless people are being turned away from emergency beds on a nightly basis due to a rise in homelessness and a shortage of accommodation, the Simon Communities of Ireland has warned.
It says its centres in Dublin, Cork and Dundalk are unable to meet the rising demand for help. In addition, many of its local services are facing budget cuts or have not yet received their allocation of State funds for this year.
Patrick Burke, chief executive of the Simon Communities of Ireland, said volunteers were extremely concerned that much of the progress which has been made in tackling homelessness may be undone unless there is an increase in funding.
"Some of our communities are still negotiating their 2008 funding. This is a ridiculous situation to be in when it is now October, and it raises concerns about funding for 2009," he said.
"In addition, all communities are seeing increasing numbers of people at risk of homelessness due to the economic downturn. Unfortunately, the prevailing economic conditions mean we are likely to see more and more people experiencing homelessness and at risk of homelessness over the coming year."
The extent of the pressure on homeless services is comign to light just over a month after the Government published its homeless strategy This pledged to ensure no homeless person will have to sleep rough or remain longer than six months in emergency accommodation within two years. However, there is no guarantee that funding needed to implement it will be available.
Mr Burke was speaking prior to a political briefing at which Simon urge all TDs and senators to prioritise measures aimed at ending homelessness. Among the examples of how Simon says demand for services has been increasing include:
* At Cork Simon an average of eight homeless people were being turned away each night from January to June 2008. A total of 58 people were recorded as sleeping rough for at least one night in June 2008.
* In Dublin, demand for the services of Dublin Simon's rough sleeper team – which encourages rough sleepers to access accommodation, health and social welfare services – rose by almost half during the first six months of the year.
* In Dundalk, there has been a 40 per cent increase in demand for its night shelters in recent months
* Galway Simon says it has experienced a dramatic increase in the numbers of members of new communities using its homeless day centre, placing increased pressure on an already overstretched homeless service.
Mr Burke said that now was the time to invest in vital homeless services and, in particular, the Government's new homeless strategy. "We are currently facing huge challenges and we need the support of everyone – including our politicians – to ensure homeless levels do not rise, and that Ireland's targets around ending homelessness are met," he said.
"A lot of progress has been made in recent years towards tackling homelessness and it is imperative that these efforts continue."
He said the homeless strategy presented a genuine opportunity to set Ireland apart from most other EU states by ending rough sleeping within the next two years.
"At Simon, we are confident that by working with politicians and policy-makers – as well as with the social partners, the business community, and society at large – we can make this commitment a reality," he said.