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

Under the current legislation that governs the provision of homeless services, a person does not have to eligible for social housing to get access to emergency accommodation. One feature that started in 2014 but has accelerated more recently is the significant increase in the number of people who are presenting to local authorities as at risk of homelessness but are not on local authority housing waiting lists and would not be eligible. I understand that one homeless NGO is doing some research on the topic that it intends to publish next year. The indication already is that there has been a significant increase in the number of people accessing homeless services who are not eligible for social housing.

The legislation governing access to homeless services relates to situations where people are unable to access alternative accommodation through their own means. That is captured in the existing Acts. We also have tenant in situ cost rental, for example. For all the weaknesses in how it is operating, that is the State recognising a cohort of people should be considered at risk of homelessness, notwithstanding the fact they have an income over the threshold for social housing. I do not think we would need to do anything different from what is in the existing Housing Acts. What is actually happening in emergency services, as well as cost rental tenant in situ, shows there is such a cohort. The issue is at what point those people would be deemed able to provide for themselves. That would have to be a judgment call for the local authority in assessing need and what support services are there.