Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I speak as somebody who has worked for a homeless services provider for three years. Most of the organisations which work with those who are homeless, whether the more traditional cases or those who have become homeless as a result of the financial crisis, will say it is really important that policymakers hear the experiences of those who have found themselves homeless. Clearly, some of those people can be very vulnerable and others have more resilience than those of us here. The homelessness service providers in Dublin have an informal network to assist people who want to be able to share their experiences. There is a real value, in terms of the committee's work, in hearing people's experiences.

Deputy Durkan is correct in saying that we all have people coming into our constituency offices. That is no substitute for hearing someone's direct experience of having to deal with a council, how it engages with him or her, whether he or she feels the service is user friendly, etc. I would not limit such engagement to people living in emergency accommodation. We are examining a wide range of issues in the housing crisis. There is a value, whether in a stand-alone session or during a regular meeting, to bring before the committee a number of people who can outline their experiences. I am strongly in favour of that.