Cabinet approves plan to tackle homelessness

The Government has promised to house 2,700 homeless families and individuals by 2016.

The Fine Gael-Labour Coalition has also committed to ending long-term “involuntary” homelessness within 2½ years. Properties owned by the National Asset Management Agency will be used in some cases.

Minister of State for Housing Jan O’Sullivan’s plan to tackle the crisis was approved by Cabinet yesterday. She said statistics compiled last week revealed 127 people were sleeping rough in Dublin with a further 142 families in hotel accommodation.

She said that €35 million in funding was "available to bring long-term vacant units back into beneficial use". The money will be used to bring some 1,750 boarded-up houses across the State up to living standard.

Nama units
Her department is working with Dublin City Council to ringfence specific units for homeless people.

“In the short term I expect significant supply from vacant units, with construction, acquisition and Nama units also coming on stream and providing homes for people who are currently homeless,” she said.

Ms O’Sullivan said she would announce details of €25 million in the coming days for capital projects specifically for people who are homeless. This would comprise a combination of construction and acquisition projects that would provide appropriate units quickly.

She described the “Implementation Plan on the State’s Response to Homelessness” as “ambitious but realistic”.

Fr Peter McVerry, a long- time campaigner on behalf of the homeless, has warned that the issue of homelessness could “bring the Government down”.

There has been a stark increase in the number of families presenting to homelessness services after hitting a rent arrears problem.

Meanwhile, rents are rising and accommodation supplies are tightening.

Fianna Fáil environment spokesman Barry Cowen dismissed the plan as a pre-election “political cop-out”.

Mr Cowen queried the publication of the report at a time when the Labour Party was doing badly in the opinion polls. "It's an effort to get them beyond this week which I don't expect the public to buy," he said.

Dublin-focused
Independent TD Catherine Murphy warned that the plan was too Dublin-focused. She said Kildare and Cork also had severe problems.

“While the situation in Dublin is dire, it is equally so in other areas and indeed many of those areas, like my own area of Kildare North, have a real difficulty in providing emergency accommodation because there are simply not the same levels of B&Bs, hotels and hostels, so in effect the crisis is more urgent in these areas.”

Minister for Finance Michael Noonan said the Government has already set aside €100 million for new housing initiatives.

“The finances have been allocated already. When Brendan Howlin announced his stimulus package he announced €50 million for housing, social housing, and another €50 million was allocated as well, earlier on in the year,” said Mr Noonan.

“So there’s significant monies available, it’s a case of people organising themselves the accommodation that’s necessary.”