Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 3 October 2018

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government

Housing (Homeless Families) Bill 2017: Discussion

9:30 am

Photo of Fergus O'DowdFergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our colleague to the meeting. This is worthwhile, appropriate and timely legislation. I find that the people who are coming to my clinic now get a home when their eldest child is, at minimum, almost nine years old. They have been waiting for a home for nine years. In many cases, they have had a very difficult life. They are initially living at home with one parent or the other. They move into accommodation and then in many cases they become homeless. I saw a family this week with three children who were living in bed and breakfast accommodation. They were walking the streets all day. When they came in to me, the children were absolutely exhausted and fell asleep in my office. I contacted the local authority and we helped them as best we could. The trauma homelessness is visiting upon young children in particular is entirely unacceptable in a modern democracy.

I welcome the work the Minister is doing, the €6 billion that has been ring-fenced for housing and the significant increase in house building in my area. However, we need to do other things to prevent homelessness. One of them is increasing tenants' rights in terms of occupancy. I would support a freeze on all notices to quit, in other words, that tenants could not be put out of rented accommodation provided they are paying rent and are reasonably up to date and provided there is not evidence of anti-social behaviour through the local authority or another State agency. In the crisis that we have, the rights of individuals who are in occupation and paying rent should be sacrosanct and should be placed above the rights of the landlord for at least two years, until the housing crisis is dealt with. That will give security, provided the tenants are paying the rent and are not causing anti-social issues.

Years ago, the local authority was very helpful and had the time and capacity to meet housing applicants to talk about their issues. That is all gone now. People are told when they go in that they are to come back in five, six, seven or eight years. The listening part of life is probably falling to the voluntary and homeless organisations, and we need to make sure that there is adequate and proper resources for them to help families in a very broad sense on this homeless path. I know we have family hubs and I welcome them. However, if people are in bed and breakfast accommodation, where do they go with their children during the day? There is no appropriate place for them to go. We need to look at that as well. We should have warm, well-heated accommodation for them to go into during the day to have as normal a family life as they can in the very difficult position they are in.

The proposed legislation is very timely. Much is being done but we need to do an awful lot more. Supporting this Bill will help people who need housing and will push the agenda forward.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.