Fears for homeless as Government cuts aid funding
Focus Ireland applied for €6.8 million in public funding but was granted just over €5 m. It received €4.5m for its work last year.
Focus Ireland chief executive Declan Jones said the growing number of homeless and of people on housing waiting lists makes the situation even more worrying.
"The lack of proper Government funding is unbelievable, especially as we're three years into a Government plan to tackle homelessness.
"This Government's own decisions will mean more homeless services will have to be cut even though the crisis is worse than ever before," he said.
"This has affected us and a number of other organisations and it, of course, restricts the level of services we can provide to those most in need of our help."
It is unclear what services are likely to be affected, but Focus Ireland believes it will have to make cuts in some areas.
Earlier this week, Cork Simon Community reported that numbers living on the city's streets doubled last year, but Government funding of €700,000 barely met half the organisation's costs.
As housing lists reach record levels, the Labour Party accused the Government of being silent on the issue.
Eamon Gilmore, the party's environment and local Government spokesman, said there were 3,000 families on the housing list in Dun Laoghaire, a scenario repeated around the country.
"Since this Government took office in 1997, the average price of a new house has increased by 130%, which is five times the rate of inflation, four times the rate of increase in average earnings, and over three times the increase in the cost of house building," he said.
"The Government has ended for young working families on low and modest incomes the prospect of buying their own house or at least the possibility of buying a home in their own community or near their place of work."
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