Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I take this opportunity to express my sympathies to the family of Paul Doyle, who died of exposure in November while sleeping rough in Bray. I also convey my sympathies on the death of the man who was sleeping rough in the Phoenix Park. His death might well lead to a murder investigation.

Some 139 people were sleeping rough in Dublin on 12 November 2013, an increase of 45 in just six months. The figure does not include the hundreds in emergency accommodation, including the 265 given shelter by the Peter McVerry Trust. In fact, approximately 1,400 people are in emergency accommodation every night in Dublin, and the homelessness rate has increased by 18% in a year. Staff members at the Dublin Simon Community recently told me that they are operating at absolute capacity. It is having a damaging effect on the morale of the very good people who dedicate their time to that organisation and to the fight against homelessness. People are sleeping rough in cold and dangerous conditions, at risk of exposure and vulnerable to assault. The additional beds put in place as part of the cold weather initiative are not sufficient to meet demand, as the number of homeless people has risen since the count that took place after last winter's initiative had ended.

The incidence of homelessness and rough sleeping is increasing at an alarming rate. It is the consequence of budget after budget which went for the easy targets, cutting the most basic services and having the greatest impact on the most vulnerable. The programme for Government referred to alternative funding models for housing, such as social housing bonds. The latter have been very successful in other countries, raising billions across Europe. The Government, however, has taken no action in this regard. Instead it continually restates the promise of NAMA housing and rehashes old announcements and spin as new funding. The Minister must consider establishing semi-independent housing trusts through the local authorities, which would allow the latter to raise funds separately from the national debt. This has worked well elsewhere when capital funds were not available. I urge the Minister to consider it.

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