Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, United Left) | Oireachtas source

That service should be set up where it is needed throughout the country. Even if it is not necessary now, it will be needed very soon. This is not just a phenomenon in Dublin; it has happened in Cork and other urban areas. The Minister should immediately instruct community welfare officers and inform local representatives and the local authorities that if a problem arises where somebody could find himself or herself homeless within a period of time, they should step in. We are advising people who approach us to hold on to the houses they are in because if they have nowhere else to go, they must stay there until they receive some assistance or find somewhere else to live. If we do not build social houses, this will be a tsunami, as Fr. Peter McVerry said. If there was a tsunami tomorrow, we would be building houses immediately to try to replace the ones lost. These are people who are losing the roof over their heads; therefore, there must be a more urgent response throughout the country.

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