Rebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chair. I am not sure I will have enough questions for the length of time everyone will be gone for. I would like to thank the witnesses for coming in and making the presentations and for the work that you do, particularly the Dublin Region Homeless Executive. My office is practically in weekly contact with the Dublin Region Homeless Executive and it can be very good and very responsive. Sometimes, however, people will fall through the cracks. I am thinking in particular of single men. The Dublin Region Homeless Executive is amazing when it comes to dealing with families.

It is brilliant.

I dealt with a situation, however, where somebody was told to present to a particular hostel a couple of weeks ago. When he presented to the hostel, he was very vulnerable. He was much older and was not used to being homeless or being in hostel accommodation. He had a relationship breakdown and ended up in the system in that way. He was turned away from the hostel and spent the night ringing around and he got in touch with my office. In a situation like that, how can we communicate with particular hostels about vulnerable people who want to go into the hostel? Is guidance given? Is there an emergency number for the Dublin Region Homeless Executive when something like that happens and somebody is stuck in that situation? He could not get in contact with anybody at that stage. Perhaps I could have an answer on that point.