Thomas Gould (Cork North-Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

In regard to funding for local authorities, I have raised this issue numerous times with the Minister. I received figures yesterday that show there were more children are homeless in Cork during the first six months of this year than there were in 2021, 2022 or 2023. It is an astounding figure. I have the figures in front of me. In 2021, no child in Cork was homeless for longer than a year. In 2025, 46 children have been homeless for longer than a year. This is proof. It is contained in a response to a question we received from Cork City Council. During the first six months of this year, there were 149 families homeless in Cork alone, including 292 children. The figure for last year was 332 children, so it is only 40 lower after six months. I believe the decision to slash the tenant in situ scheme is leading to this. We know that the tenant in situ scheme prevented 100 children and, I think, 65 adults from going into homelessness last year. It was the strongest tool we had to prevent homelessness. This is the situation in Cork, but it also the case in Dublin, Limerick and everywhere else. Will the Minister reinstate the tenant in situ scheme? I would go further. Will the Minister give additional funding? Downsizing has also stopped because that was funded under the same scheme. There are older people living alone in three-, four- or five-bedroom houses who want to sell their property to their local authority but there is no funding there. We also have the situation where homeless charities cannot buy any more houses or apartments under the housing first scheme because there is no funding available. Will the Minister please invest in those schemes?