Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Of course. They were not enough but they were welcome. Any improvement is welcome. The problem is that a roof over people's heads is the next most important thing. We have to try to get people away. Numerous people are attending general practitioner surgeries suffering from mental health issues that are exacerbated by two issues. The first is a shortage of money and the second is the insecure nature of their accommodation. I know one woman on the housing waiting list. She is now housed with a voluntary housing association. She has a condition called agoraphobia. The fact she was on a waiting list and in insecure accommodation aggravated her condition and caused her more problems. That is another issue that will compound the problems from which vulnerable tenants suffer. This will catch people between moving out of a tenancy or losing a tenancy and their ability to get somewhere else.

Organisations such as the Simon Community will wind up mopping up big problems.

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