Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I listened to the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien's response to the Bill and his acceptance that it can contribute to early intervention, thus supporting families or individuals who are at risk of homelessness and, by extension, helping to prevent people from becoming homeless. The Minister also said that no single action or law, including this Bill, will deal with the crisis of homelessness. I fully agree with him, but nobody has suggested, certainly not in my hearing, that this Bill is any kind of magic potion. It could be described simply and straightforwardly as a practical proposal that does what it says on the tin.

Where a local authority determines a person or family who is under notice to quit or facing eviction is at risk of homelessness, a three-month extension to their tenancy will be granted. People might ask what good that will do and say it is only postponing the inevitable. That is not the case. I will outline the experience of the Simon communities nationally and North West Simon Community. Many individuals will be given a notice to quit because a landlord is selling the property or for another reason. They spend the notice period searching locally, scouring different rental sites, checking with friends and family, asking around and doing everything they can to find another rental property. The weeks pass and, very often, nothing is available and they cannot afford whatever is available. Then panic sets in. They approach housing agencies like the Simon communities or local councillors and Deputies but there is no time. If, however, this Bill was in place, those at risk of becoming homeless could liaise with the local authority, housing agency or local representatives for the three-month period and avoid becoming homeless.

Families and people become homeless faster than most people think. It is an issue that is much closer than most people think for many renters. It happens quickly. People only need do is speak to someone who is homeless or the agencies that deal with the homeless. The Bill gives a bit of extra space and breathing room. That is why early intervention is so important and the reason the Simon communities drafted this Bill is that its practical day-to-day experience tells it that this extra time matters. During that time, families and individuals are engaging with homeless services and their local authorities. I thank the Simon Communities of Ireland for giving me the opportunity to be one of the six Deputies who sponsored this Bill. I thank Sinn Féin for giving its Private Members' time so that we could debate it.

It is important to say that sometimes people think homelessness is largely an urban issue, but is also a rural issue. Nationally, the Simon Communities of Ireland published a study, Locked Out, which surveyed 16 areas, two of which were Sligo and Leitrim. Specifically in Leitrim, of the 13 properties that were available to rent at the time of the survey, not one property came within the housing assistance payment rate for singles, couples or families. According to daft.ie, rental prices in Leitrim increased by 16% in the year to quarter 2 of 2021. In Sligo town there was a similar picture. There were ten properties to rent but not one came within the HAP rate for singles, couples or families. In Sligo, the average increase in rents was 14.5%.

The Minister should look at what is happening in the north west. I thank the Simon Communities of Ireland for its good work. Of the 104 households it is currently supporting, only 20% are in reasonably secure accommodation; 28 are sofa-surfing; 13 are sharing overcrowded accommodation; 11 have received eviction notices; 11 are in emergency accommodation; four are in hospital; three are sleeping in tents; two were recently evicted; one is in a caravan; and one is in a car.

The only solution to homelessness is a home. Until there is greater supply, two measures will help, namely, the provision of a system of early intervention, as proposed in this Bill, and an increase in the rates payable under HAP.

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