Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, I thank the witnesses from Focus Ireland for coming in. Even the name is indicative of the exceptionally good job it does. Everything Deputy Ó Broin said is spot on. He has hit the nail on the head. What struck me is all the recurring themes. I served on a council for more than 20 years so none of this is new to me.

What is really scary is that only two weeks ago I had someone in here who was homeless in another county, not where I was involved, and we made representations to Tusla, the Minister and the local authority and we are still waiting for a response. I refer to a crisis situation. I am a Member of the Oireachtas and that is the experience I receive as a public representative. When one rings up local authorities on a regular basis, which I do, the response I get is that the people whom I represent are not homeless yet. In one case there was an 80-year old woman living in Dundrum who was being put out of her home. The local authority said it needed evidence. I said the woman is vulnerable, she is 80 years of age. She is in a three-bedroom house that is falling down. I agreed that it was beyond her needs and capacity but she needs something else. I was asked whether she was on the homeless list because if not, the local authority was not really interested in talking to her. I asked if the woman could meet somebody to talk to them but there was no interest in that.

Everything the witnesses said is clear. I thank them for the evidence based on the personal journeys and experiences they have shared with us through the research. That makes the result even more profound. I agree with what was said about taking a non-judgmental approach. It is about dignity and respect for people in those situations. That is not the experience of people dealing with local authorities.

I want to hone in on local authorities because they are the housing authorities. People are being told to self-refer and get out on the road and get their own place. I live in south County Dublin, where property is very expensive and it is not possible to rent accommodation, even for many who are employed. I am glad this report is evidence-based. There is a need for standard practice across all local authority areas because there is an inconsistency in personnel, staff and approach. I agree about the need for case managers to be personal advocates, mentors or supporters. Housing is complex and there are many reasons why people are homeless besides affordability. It needs a case response, a bigger plan, particularly because many children and vulnerable people with mental health problems and a whole range of issues are affected.

The witnesses say some local authority practices have been identified as the cause of significant stress to homeless families. We have talked about some of them here. Can they share some of that with us? Deputy Ó Broin made the point that there are strong recommendations here and I do not think anyone on this committee would doubt that we should be pursuing them. We should bring the Minister back in, get an official response and get timelines for rolling it out. What are the witnesses recommending in terms of an overall charter of rights for people who are homeless?

Families favour local authority accommodation over other accommodation. Why cannot HAP, or some other model, provide the same assurances in respect of affordability, security and choice? HAP is everywhere and there is not enough social housing. Location is a priority and Mr. Harvey stated "Families very much favoured local authority accommodation because of its security, affordability, standard and location." People have said that to me too. I can see why it is the case. The gap between HAP and affordability and security and so on is a challenge for all of us. It strikes me that we need a charter of rights and standard practice across all local authority areas for dealing with people who present as homeless.