Dr. Dermot Kavanagh:

I will come in first. We are in an emergency situation when it comes to homelessness and housing. If I am allowed, I will suggest two things rather than one. First, it used to be the case that the private rented sector offered a viable pathway out of homelessness. That has become increasingly difficult, in particular for single homeless people over the past several years. The HAP rate has not shifted since 2016 for a one-bed unit in Cork, which is five years.

There are approximately 300 homeless people in the city, most of whom are single people. The HAP rate is stuck at €550 or €660, if the 20% uplift is offered. The price in 2016 for a one-bed apartment in Cork city centre was already expensive, at around €850. It is now €1,500 and it is €1,200 in the suburbs. The HAP has totally lost touch with reality, at least in Cork. It is vital to get that pathway back and operating, as is increasing the uplift and reviewing the overall HAP rate.

Second, this is a bit like emergency medicine and is about triage. When one looks at our 2021 figures in the Cork Simon Community shelter, it is notable again that the group of people who have been homeless for the longest term represents 6% of those who availed of our shelter or Night Light service in 2021 and accounted for 50% of the bed nights. While it is extremely welcome to see that Housing First is now part of the mainstream response to homelessness, I was disappointed that in Cork and the south west, the number of extra new tenancies to be created is actually a reduction year on year. In the previous three years, the target had been 28 tenancies per year but under the new plan, it is 21 tenancies per year. That is quite disappointing.

We deliver the service in the south west in partnership with Focus Ireland. We have exceeded the pre-existing targets for tenancies in the city already. If you want to create more space in emergency shelter, it is about getting the long-term homeless people into housing with the supports that they need. Housing First does that. The faster it can go and the more units that can be prioritised for homeless people, especially for those in the long-term homeless group, the more we can ease the pressure on the services. Those are my two main points.