Taoiseach criticised for comparing homelessness crisis to hospital waiting lists
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the 'most effective way' to get people out of homelessness would be through social housing. Picture: Sam Boal/Collins
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has been criticised for a “poor choice of words”, after comparing reducing homelessness to hospital waiting lists.
Asked on Tuesday about a date for when homelessness levels would begin to fall, Mr Martin was reluctant to go into the matter.
“What I’m more interested in is, it’s a bit like hospital waiting lists," he said.
"It’s not the number on the waiting list, it’s how fast you get treated,” Mr Martin said.
“Ideally we want to prevent people becoming homeless in the first place, but then if they do get into emergency accommodation, how fast can we get them out.”
However, his comparison of the level of homelessness to hospital waiting lists has come in for criticism, particularly by Focus Ireland whose head of communications described the comments as a “poor choice of words”.
“People go to hospitals because they are sick; they do not have to become homeless. Preventing homelessness is entirely possible. He did mention prevention later on; however, this should be the main objective as it's the very key to ending this human suffering,” Roughan McNamara said.
“To ease the homelessness crisis, we must intensify targeted prevention efforts to stem the rising tide of individuals and families losing their homes each month.
“This will enable the allocation of more resources towards moving people out of homelessness and into stable housing."
Mr McNamara said he hopes Mr Martin’s words were just “poorly chosen” and that the Government’s upcoming housing and homelessness plan would set “clear targets” to end homelessness.
“Focus Ireland has urged for a definitive target date to end long-term family homelessness.
"We can change this, and we have a duty to do so urgently to protect all children."
In an interview with the , Mr Martin said the upcoming housing action plan would seek to integrate homelessness with housing policy.
The Taoiseach said the “most effective way” to get people out of homelessness would be through social housing, but the Government planned to expand existing schemes like Housing First.
This scheme provides housing and direct supports to people in long-term homelessness.
At the end of August, there were 16,353 people homeless in Ireland, including 5,145 children. This is the highest number of people in emergency accommodation since figures began.
The update from last month says there were 11,208 adults in emergency accommodation.
It is a rise from the figure recorded the month before, which in July stood at 16,058.
On Tuesday, Mr Martin confirmed talks had taken place between Government officials and banks, to seek agreement on a new scheme to provide equity to small and medium-sized builders.
The Taoiseach said he wants to see banks provide financing for smaller builders “at affordable rates”.
Mr Martin said he hoped there would be an agreement reached with the banks and possibly the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund.
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