Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

For years people who have become homeless in Cork have told me that they do not want to enter homeless emergency accommodation. These are people who are in recovery and are concerned that everyone is being mixed together in emergency accommodation. They are concerned about the risk of going back into addiction. Both in Cork and nationally, we need specific wrap-around services for those in addiction and recovery, those with mental health issues, women and young people to help them out of homelessness.

Dr. Burns touched on something earlier. There is no emergency HAP outside Dublin. In Cork because the HAP rates are too low and the rents are too high, people are prevented from getting out of homelessness and into accommodation.

I have one question for Dr. Burns and one for Ms Leahy. Does Dr. Burns believe that people working with homeless people and families should have specialist training in trauma to support people who may be traumatised by their experience of being homeless? Should that training be expanded to people working in local authorities and the Department of Social Protection?

Does Ms Leahy believe the Government is doing enough to end homelessness, especially for those sleeping on the street in the long term? What can be done to help those people?