Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I congratulate my colleague, if congratulations is a word that can be used on an issue such as this, on preparing this motion and putting it before the House because it is vitally important. The focus on solutions to homelessness has largely been a city wide perspective. While this is warranted, it is important to focus on the rise of rural homelessness, for example, in my constituency of Donegal.

The resources, staffing and financing that Dublin and other cities receive to help combat the growing tide of homelessness are not the same as those afforded to rural constituencies such as Donegal. In fact, we still do not know how many people are homeless in rural Ireland because the Housing First response to homelessness has not trickled across the country.

The official figure for the number of people homeless in Donegal, as documented by the Department, is 12. That figure is incorrect. Homeless shelters in Donegal are full to capacity, and that amounts to at least 20 adults in one shelter I know. It has also become evident that county councils record homelessness in different ways. The pathway accommodation and support system, PASS, is being used inconsistently across the board. Ideally, people who present themselves as homeless to the council are automatically logged in and wrap-around supports are provided. In Donegal, it is a different story. Homelessness is only visible between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. while the council doors remain open. Help switches off at 5 p.m. For example, a woman fleeing domestic violence in the middle of the night cannot be registered because there is no out-of-hours PASS system in Donegal.

There is a narrow definition of what homelessness means in Donegal. Anyone in sheltered accommodation, temporary accommodation or couch surfing is not considered homeless and, as is happening to a family in Letterkenny this week, a family that does not have habitual residency status cannot be registered as homeless. We also do not have an accurate estimate of the number of people with mental health issues leaving mental health services who end up homeless. If we do not have the numbers, we will not have a solution.

In this crisis a system such as PASS should not become a closed user group to which only a select few individuals have access. NGOs are not automatically contacted to deal with an individual, as is the case in Galway, Cork and Dublin, so people do not get the wrap-around supports they need. People are going to Derry where they will get help to a certain extent. The Minister must ensure that resources go where they are needed. Greater oversight is required to ensure councils reform their systems for recording homelessness. This could be done through a circular in which the Minister decides how homelessness should be recorded. Resources are also needed to provide dedicated case workers with solutions tailored to the individual on hand, in addition to funding for more homeless action teams, including for out-of-hours services.

Despite billions of euro being spent to solve homelessness, the response has been too slow, inconsistent and system-led. Housing First has not been adequately adopted throughout the country, but perhaps that serves to keep the numbers lower.

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