Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

In the programme for Government, a whole chapter is dedicated to ending the housing shortage and homelessness. It speaks of ending the need for rough sleeping by providing a high level of funding for homeless services and supporting emergency beds and accommodation options. This month, the Dublin Region Homeless Executive quarterly rough sleepers count revealed a 33% increase in the number of people forced to sleep on the streets in November. The only real accommodation solution for rough sleepers with complex needs is the Housing First programme. To date, only 180 Housing First tenancies have been created by the Government. This is well short of targets for 2017.

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