Bickering over homelessness crisis ‘absolute disgrace’

Homeless campaigner Peter McVerry has said it is an “absolute disgrace” that ministers are bickering as families are left homeless and the problem gets worse and worse.

The campaigner was critical of the Coalition’s confirmation that ‘rent certainty’ now looks unlikely to be introduced to address soaring rates being asked of tenants.

His comments came as it was claimed in the Dáil that as many as 25 Fine Gael Oireachtas members are landlords.

Fr McVerry said it was a “disaster” that rent certainty was off the table, as indicated by Labour this week. Environment Minister Alan Kelly wants rents linked to inflation for several years. Labour this week confirmed this is now unlikely to be agreed before Cabinet next week. Both Mr Kelly and Taoiseach Enda Kenny yesterday said talks were ongoing about agreeing a package.

Fr McVerry said he backed Mr Kelly but that it was his ministerial colleagues who were not supporting him. The campaigner singled out Finance Minister Michael Noonan and said he was against rent certainty plans.

But while families were “flooding in”, ministers were “arguing and bickering”, said Fr McVerry and this was an” absolute disgrace”. Campaigners estimate as many as 80 families a month are becoming homeless.

“The problem is getting worse and worse and worse…what the Government is doing is not working,” he told RTÉ.

But Mr Kelly insisted that enough emergency beds for families would be made available this winter — as promised. The Government were still discussing a whole range of issues to address the housing crises, he said, including how to address supply and rents.

In the Dáil, Enda Kenny said talks on housing between different ministers and officials are expected to conclude this week.

But Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams claimed as many as 25 Fine Gael Oireachtas members were landlords. The debate now on rent certainty was now a case of Labour’s Way or Fine Gael’s way, he quipped.

Mr Kenny, reiterating promises in the budget, said Nama would soon become involved in releasing properties onto the market at a rate of 80 units a week.

It was announced yesterday that hundreds of extra shelter beds are being set up to stop rough sleepers dying in Dublin over the winter. The additional 195 single beds and 55 units for couples and families has been criticised as a signal of the Government’s failure to stem homelessness.

“The ‘Cold Weather Initiative’ is planning to provide additional homeless accommodation to over 500 people between now and Christmas,” said Pat Doyle, chief executive of the trust.

Dublin Simon Community said the extra beds were critical to get people off the streets over winter but warned the scheme would feed into a bottleneck created by the Government’s lack of long-term vision.