Church of Ireland calls for urgent resolution of homeless crisis

The Church of Ireland has called on the Government to prioritise efforts to solve the homeless crisis.

Its Church and Society Commission said "the news that a family of five, including three young children, had to sleep rough in Dublin on Monday night last highlighted, once again, the scandal of homelessness in Ireland, one of the richest countries in the world."

Noting that “there were more than 1,100 children in over 500 families living in emergency accommodation, bed and breakfasts and hotel rooms in the past six months and the numbers continue to rise”, it said “this has a serious negative effect on children and their futures”.

Plight of people

Such children “cannot stay in one school when they are moved from place to place as charities and local authorities try to find accommodation for them and their families, often on a day-to-day basis”.

The commission said it was”very concerned at the plight of people living in these conditions and calls on the Government to prioritise spending of available resources and focus its efforts on resolving the crisis – so that those in need of shelter will be adequately housed and children will not be disadvantaged because of their family circumstances”.