Budget 2017: Charities welcome €28m boost for emergency accommodation

Homelessness charities have welcomed the €28m allocated by the Government to provide additional emergency homeless accommodation.

Housing Minister Simon Coveney confirmed the increase in funding will go towards a range of measures including emergency accommodation, rapid builds, and the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme.

The Department of Health will also see an extra €6m allocated for its homeless services which focus on mental health and addiction issues.

The CEO of the Peter McVerry Trust, Pat Doyle, welcomed the allocation as recognition by the Government of the scale of the problem.

“The new funding is recognition by Government that we need to increase the availability of suitable emergency beds for those in need and to ensure that we respond to the rising numbers in homelessness. The additional €105m allocated towards the HAP scheme is welcome and we hope that it can provide the 15,000 tenancies it aims to deliver. However, the impact of this funding and the HAP scheme in general is being eroded because of unrestricted increases in the cost of renting and the lack of security of tenure for tenants,” he said.

The Focus Ireland director of advocacy, Mike Allen, said the €28m for emergency accommodation was very welcome but said the measures to tackle the immediate crisis are “far too modest”.

“In particular, the 5% increased relief for landlords seems unlikely to change the mind of the increasing number of landlords selling — which is one of the main reasons many people are becoming homeless. This relief already exists for landlords with social housing tenants.

“It is worrying more was not done on this issue as it would have a positive impact on the numbers becoming homeless if greater action had been taken to prevent more landlords from leaving the sector,” he said.

The CEO of Depaul, Kerry Anthony, said that while many of the measures were welcome, the Government needed to focus on long-term housing solutions.

“In the meantime, we must provide intensive in-reach support to the people who access emergency accommodation, so that they do not become trapped in a cycle of homelessness and dependency that can have devastating life-long consequences,” she said.