Charity: State failing on homelessness

THE Government is unwilling to allocate sufficient resources to provide long-term housing for the homeless as set out in its own policy, a leading charity for people who are homeless has warned.

Focus Ireland, which yesterday launched its annual report, said Government schemes were failing to deliver long-term solutions for the homeless and called on it to step up to commitments made.

Mike Allen, advocacy officer with the charity, said it was more than 18 months since the Housing Minister Michael Finneran announced a leasing scheme which was intended to ensure social housing was provided during the economic crisis.

However, despite several revamps of the scheme, hard work by voluntary housing associations, like Focus Ireland, and departmental officials, virtually no homes have yet been delivered, he said. The charity warned that with only seven months remaining in 2010 it was “very difficult” to see how homes would be provided for people ready to move on from emergency and transitional accommodation unless the provision of long-term housing is made an immediate political priority by all of Government.

Focus Ireland CEO Joyce Loughnan said the country was at a “critical point” in the battle to end long-term homelessness, which essentially means no person will have to live in emergency accommodation for longer than six months.

“Focus Ireland believes the Government will fail to meet its own target of ending long-term homelessness by the end of this year unless the provision of homes is made an immediate priority. By priority we mean that it is backed up by the political will and resources required to deliver homes for those most in need.”

Ms Loughnan said without action, Ireland runs the very real risk of a deepening housing and homeless crisis as demand for housing is greater than ever before.

Latest statistics show there are up to 5,000 people who are homeless at any one time in Ireland – including around 1,000 children – and 100,000 households on local authority social housing waiting lists.

Another 93,000 households are in receipt of rent supplement, an emergency social welfare payment paid to households unable to meet their rent in the private sector.

Launching its report, Focus Ireland also paid tribute to the great support of the public and business community in 2009 as they helped the charity raise €5.34m despite the recession.