‘Stroke of a pen could stop families losing their homes’

Over 10,000 people found themselves having to avail of the services of a leading homeless charity last year.

Focus Ireland has already worked with 8,000 people during the first six months of this year and demand for its services is continuing to grow.

Over the last two years, the number of people who used the charity’s prevention and support services increased by 25%.

The organisation’s life president and founder, Sr Stanislaus Kennedy, said the Government must stop what was a growing crisis.

At the launch of the charity’s 2013 report yesterday, Sr Stan warned that the housing and homeless situation was getting worse all around the country.

“One family a day loses their home and becomes homeless in Dublin alone,” she said.

“The blame for this can only be laid at the door of the Government and only the Government can stop this from happening in many cases.”

While the Government accepted before the local and European elections in May that the housing and homeless situation was at crisis point, they had yet to see the urgent response a crisis demanded.

Sr Stan said a further 39 families became homeless in Dublin last month.

Almost all of the families lost their homes in the private rented sector — they could not afford their rent as their rent supplement did not cover it.

“We are trying to do what we can but it’s really hard due to the critical shortage of accommodation,” she said.

Focus Ireland said the Government must raise rent supplement rates in the Budget to stop the rise in the number of families losing their homes.

“The Government could stop many families from losing their homes with a stroke of a pen tomorrow,” said Sr Stan.

According to the charity, up to up to 5,000 people are homeless, while just under 100,000 households are on housing waiting lists.

Acting chief executive of Focus Ireland, Mark Byrne said the best they could do for many of the homeless families was to get them into a B&B or hotel so they were off the streets, but this was not acceptable.

“The Government has said we have reached the limits of austerity and I believe the growing homeless crisis proves this,” he said.

Mr Byrne said there must be urgent investment in building social housing now. Focus Ireland has called for an investment of €500m in the Budget to provide at least 3,000 homes and also much-needed jobs to help boost the economy.

The charity said the Government would not meet its target to end long-term homelessness by the end of 2016 because of the lack of houses.