Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

All the individuals and organisations working with those with housing issues and who are homelessness say they have never seen circumstances such as those we are seeing today. We know from the figures the extent of the problem. I spend so much of my time, all day every day, taking calls about housing of one type or another. This is an emergency and more prompt and urgent action than has been evident to date is needed.

It is very definitely a complex issue but surely, one year after the tragic death of Jonathan Corrie, one year after the conference the Minister held in his Department, which was attended by me and by so many stakeholders, and after all the plans announced at that stage, we should be seeing an improvement. However, we are not; rather, we are seeing worsening circumstances. I will give some examples based on my experience of taking calls every day. An individual whom I will call John dialled the freephone number at 4.31 p.m. on Friday. Some 25 minutes later, he was still waiting. Of course, when he got through, just at 5 p.m., there were no beds left. Before leaving the office, I asked him whether he would be safe over the weekend and whether he had somewhere to put his sleeping bag. There are six-month delays in getting a key worker. It is longer for those without children.

Another example concerns people in their 60s who have been renting flats or apartments for 20 to 25 years. For various reasons, their landlords might be selling. Some of the elderly people are very vulnerable and face having to go to an emergency shelter or emergency accommodation. This is absolutely tragic. It reminds me of the song "Streets of London", which contains a line about carrying one's home in two carrier bags.

It is very difficult for those who make the journey into recovery. I understand the pressure to get people off the streets. However, one does not jeopardise people's recovery by putting them into unsuitable accommodation or hostels where particular individuals are still actively using substances. This completely backfires and there is a real possibility of relapse. We know the dangers that come with this.

Why are there still voids in local authority housing? Why are there still derelict sites and why are there still perfectly acceptable properties being left idle for many years? I saw the modular housing and was very impressed by that. It has great potential. I have a question on its cost. The various developers we met told us it would cost in the region of €50,000 to €60,000 but other figures are being quoted in the newspapers. I understand that city councillors in Dublin went to see modular housing over a year ago, in Glasgow I believe. Again, there was no urgency for us to start examining modular housing here. The Minister was at some of the openings in Dublin Central, including that of Peadar Kearney House, Fr. Scully House and, before that, Sean Treacy House, all of which comprise state-of-the-art housing. We know what can be done, and it is being done.

With regard to the figures, there are non-Irish people in need of housing who are being diverted from homelessness services to the new communities unit in the Department of Social Protection. They are not being formally processed. The figures for homelessness, therefore, are not true figures reflecting what is occurring on the ground. The Minister has been given the report and I hope he considers it.

I acknowledge the co-operation of Dublin City Council staff and the staff in Parkgate Street. However, the usual answer to a query on housing is that one's constituent is at position 540, 780 or 990 on the housing list and is, therefore, unlikely to be offered accommodation in the near future. That is the reality. That is the reply the housing authority is giving us.

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