Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Moreover, I maintain there is nothing in this legislation that would have any negative impact on Traveller accommodation. It is disingenuous of the Deputy to suggest otherwise.

Contrary to the claims of some people, no one chooses to sleep rough. I am pleased no one has made that claim in the Chamber today. However, sometimes in the public debate about homelessness we hear that people turn down emergency accommodation and choose to sleep outside. I work with some people who are rough sleepers. They tell us they are too fearful to go into emergency accommodation, especially dormitory-style emergency accommodation, because of the fear of theft and violence as well as the fear of being in proximity to drug use when they are going through detoxification. On these grounds, the decision to sleep rough is not a choice. These people simply believe they have no other option because of the failure of the State to provide either adequate emergency accommodation or any emergency accommodation.

In some of the locations where rough sleepers tragically died recently outside Dublin no emergency accommodation of any kind was available, whether adequate or otherwise. Those people did not choose to sleep rough. The absence of a safe and secure emergency response or a better permanent response was the cause of their difficulties.

It is appropriate to debate the matter today because three sets of figures have come out between today and yesterday. These figures are bad news on the homeless front. Other Deputies have already referenced the Dublin Region Homeless Executive figures for rough sleepers, which are disturbing. We have seen the Department's figures on emergency accommodation as well. I do not have time to go into the details now but I do not accept the Minister's interpretation of the figures as stabilising. A great deal is going on behind these figures. Yesterday, South Dublin County Council published its quarterly homeless figures report, produced by the strategic policy committee. Alarmingly, not only did the report show a significant increase in the number of people in emergency accommodation – the figures do not record children separately - but it also gave us figures for the number of presenters. The number of repeat presenters is especially alarming as is the frequency of repeat presenters at the emergency accommodation desk at South Dublin County Council. This confirms what we are hearing anecdotally, in other words, large numbers of families are presenting as homeless and there is no emergency accommodation for them. These families must present repeatedly throughout the month. In other cases, they may get into homeless accommodation in a hotel. Then they are put out because of the commercial decision of the landlord. Consequently, they are forced back into the system. What the Minister sees as stabilisation has more to do with the absence of adequate emergency accommodation. Families who have an emergency need are being pushed away from the emergency system and have to continue to repeat-present. If we had similar figures for the other Dublin local authorities, we would see the same pattern.

I have no wish to take any time from my colleagues. I fully support the Bill. If Deputies are against the spikes on the ground and the sprinklers under the shelter that further undermine the dignity of people who are forced to sleep rough, then they should support the Bill.

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