Response to homeless crisis ‘a widespread failure’

Ireland’s response to the homeless crisis has been labelled "a widespread failure" by Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.

Calling for greater policy coherence, Dr Martin said homelessness was a sort of thermometer of the overall social climate.

“If that is the case, the current crisis of homelessness in Ireland is, in fact, an indication of a more widespread failure of social policy,” he said yesterday.

Last year, Crosscare, the Dublin Diocesan Social Service Agency, had to turn away 1,000 people because it could not cope with the level of demand.

“We live in a very challenging social climate in Ireland.

“The level of homelessness in what is a wealthy Dublin is shameful,” said the Archbishop when he launched Crosscare’s report.

And, he said, the level of precariousness regarding accommodation, especially for families, was worrying.

“We face one of the paradoxes of many developed societies.

“We have increased homelessness and we have unoccupied housing; we have people hungry, and enormous quantities of food are thrown away daily.”

Archbishop Martin said the Government must now address the social consequences of Ireland’s economic policy and identify ways to redress the disadvantage that the vulnerable had suffered.

He said Crosscare was not afraid to point out failures in the way public services respond to the needs of those who turn to them but also worked in a spirit of co-operation.

The organisation, a merger of three different groups, that helps the homeless, migrants and refugees, worked with 5,000 people last year.

The main issues raised by those it worked with were: social welfare (30%); immigration status (25%); at-risk of homelessness (19%); no income (14%) and homelessness (12%).

Crosscare said over 700 people who approached the service had no income whatsoever.

Many were entitled to social welfare support.

But poor information and service from staff in government departments meant that they had lost out and faced homelessness.

The service dealt with large numbers of people in vulnerable situations who had not been made aware of their social protection rights by staff at local social welfare offices.

Project leader with Crosscare Housing and Welfare Information, Ciara McGrath, said people with no income were walking away from local social welfare offices no better off.

Ms McGrath said the proper use of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme could help keep people out of destitution and homelessness.

She said the scheme needed to be administered with a spirit of protection of the vulnerable, not a spirit of protection of budgets.