How Jonathan Corrie’s death jolted the Government into action on homelessness

It might well have been just another death in a doorway. But Jonathan Corrie’s tragic and tangled life slipped away on a cold December morning in the shadow of the national parliament.

Successive governments have never proved all that interested in trying to resolve the kind of knotty social problems that lie at the heart of homelessness.

Budgets for tackling these issues were regularly cut during the downturn. The escalating numbers of rough-sleepers on the streets – though visible to all – prompted barely a whimper of political debate.

But this was a death on their very own doorstep.

Politicians passed the same blue doorway on the way towards Leinster House; it was the backdrop to countless television interview with TDs and Ministers over the years.

Mr Corrie’s death ended up forcing policymakers to finally sit up and take the issue of homelessness seriously.

It galvanised the Government into action. The Taoiseach spent a night visiting homeless people and expressed shock at "rats skittering across sodden blankets and beds of needles". Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly held an emergency meeting of interested groups.

An extra 260 beds were promised in the run-up to Christmas. A night cafe was established to give homeless people a safe environment to stay. The pledge to end the need for long-term homelessness by 2016 was resurrected and endorsed by senior Ministers.

Social emergency

In reality, though, the rising number of rough-sleepers over the past two years or so

are symptoms of an even bigger social emergency facing the Government: the housing crisis.

The rising cost of rent, a collapse in housing supply and rigid rent supplement limits mean families on low incomes or welfare are being squeezed out of their accommodation.

But is it also a problem for middle- income earners. Many are struggling to find affordable, good-quality rental accommodation that is convenient for work or family; rent hikes are extracting a relentlessly increasing portion of income.

The full social impact of these pressures is still unfolding. Social justice campaigner Fr Peter McVerry has predicted a “tsunami of homelessness”, because traditional supports such as social housing and the private rented sector are out of reach for many.

The figures speak for themselves. In 2014, over 450 families – including almost 1,000 children – ended up homeless and stayed in hotels or B&Bs as a measure of last resort.

More than 90,000 families are on social housing waiting lists and are likely to face years of waiting before there is a meaningful supply of new housing.

The Government has promised action. Its plan for a renewed construction sector was launched during the year.

It contained laudable aims such as the tripling of housing output by the end of the decade and adding 60,000 jobs to the construction sector.

No concrete action

But while there were plenty of promises, the report lacked concrete action that could invigorate the sector.

Ironically, its most eye-catching proposal – a help-to-buy scheme for first-time buyers – ended up being criticised by housing experts as a return to exactly the kind of policies that created the property bubble in the first place.

Alan Kelly has also pledged to kick-start the construction of social housing and allocated extra funding for the renovation of vacant social housing units.

But many vulnerable, low-income families can’t afford to wait for an increase in housing supply that could take years before it makes a meaningful impact.

Warnings by banks that as many as 25,000 mortgage-holders face having their homes repossessed or forcibly sold will add further pressure to the private rental sector.

Analysts expect the cost of private rental accommodation will continue to rise in Dublin over the coming year, putting extra pressure on people who depend on rent supplement.

The homeless action-plan measures announced earlier this month are, by and large, quick-fix measures for a small group of vulnerable people.

But most social policy and housing experts agree that we will need far more ambitious plans to reform the rental market, to provide more certainty to tenants and give more flexibility to people who rely on rent supplement.

Housing is too central to the economy, to our competitiveness and to the lives of our most vulnerable citizens to be left unattended. And voters won’t forgive a party in power that doesn’t attempt to get to grips with the situation sooner rather than later.