New homes ‘will not be ready for 2 years’

Focus Ireland has welcomed the €2.2bn social housing investment over the next three years, but warned that a clear and urgent short-term response was needed to stem the homeless and housing crisis.

Mike Allen, Focus Ireland director of advocacy, said that despite the massive investment programme unveiled, the first new homes will not be delivered for nearly two years.

“This investment is very welcome, but the fact remains that it does nothing today for the more than 350 families who have become homeless in Dublin alone so far this year and the 40 to 50 families who will sadly lose their homes and become homeless this month,” said Mr Allen.

The Simon Community also expressed concerns, despite an extra €10m allocated to combat homelessness.

It said new measures will not be enough to address the housing crises and expressed doubt about the capacity of local authorities to deliver social housing on the required scale.

Spokeswoman Niamh Randall said the increase for social housing investment will yield 7,500 new homes next year, but this is only 8.3% of the 90,000 households on the social housing waiting list.

“For people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, access to appropriate housing and support is absolutely vital,” Ms Randall said. “The Government has committed to ending long-term homelessness by 2016 using a housing-led approach. The achievement of this goal is dependent on the availability of suitable housing with support,” she said, but added that housing alone was inadequate to address the needs of the long-term homeless.

“We must tackle the issues that often cause or accompany homelessness. These include low income, debt burden, poor health and wellbeing, loneliness and isolation, problematic drug and/or alcohol use and unemployment.”

She also expressed concerns about rent supplements pushing people into homelessness, saying it is “impossible” to find accommodation that falls within the supplement limits, while new Central Bank rules for first-time buyers “mean that people will not be moving on from the rental market, making it even more crowded”.