Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I move:

“That Dáil Éireann:

notes that the homeless figures continue to rise month on month and, at the end of October 2018, there were 9,724 people and 3,725 children in homeless accommodation according to the statistics provided by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government;

further notes that:— at least 1,600 people were removed and recategorised from these homeless figures;

— people and children in domestic violence refuges and direct provision accommodation are not included in these figures;

— people and children living in unsuitable, overcrowded accommodation and ‘couch surfing’ are also not included in these figures;

— some children are spending their second and third Christmases in emergency accommodation;

— the most recent rough sleeper count was 156, up from 110 in the spring count;

— over 10,000 attended the rally on 1st December, #HomesForAll, which was also the fourth anniversary of the death of Jonathan Corrie;

— over 14,000 people signed the recent Barnardos Ireland petition to call for an end to the use of bed and breakfasts and hotels to house homeless children; and

— public opinion is ahead of the political will to end the crisis, and the majority of the public believe that housing is a human right which should be enshrined in the Constitution, according to a recent Amárach poll published on the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on 10th December; andcalls on the Government to:— immediately declare a housing emergency and implement the necessary emergency measures to urgently address the crisis;

— hold a referendum on the right to housing in May 2019;

— commit to re-housing families who have been in emergency homeless

accommodation, including hubs, for 18 months or more, no later than by the end of quarter 1, 2019;

— commit to re-housing all other families experiencing homelessness by the end of quarter 2, 2019;

— limit the use of hubs and emergency accommodation for families with children to three months maximum;

— increase supports to schools in areas with large populations of homeless families;

— provide free counselling to all families and children experiencing homelessness should they wish to avail of the service;

— increase the number of available emergency beds and single rooms in dry hostels; and

— extend the Housing First programme by doubling all targets in the Housing First National Implementation Plan 2018-2021.”

I wish to share time with Deputies Joan Collins and Maureen O'Sullivan.

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