Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

There will be funding next year all right, and that seems to be case, but it will be focused on Dublin mainly. Homelessness is a nationwide problem in this country, unfortunately. The figures released for the north west showing 106 individuals and 22 child dependants are based on local authority-provided respite centres, which are full all the time, so they are not actually the real figures. There is a huge number of people in homelessness right across the north west who are couch-surfing, staying with friends, sleeping on the floor and so on and who are not counted in any figures. It is the same here in Dublin as well, but the figures here are a lot higher because there are more services here. The reality is that these homeless people will be left behind if this funding is not brought forward.

We tried to engage with the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, and to have meetings with him. Unfortunately, he did not turn up to that meeting. We met officials and so on and they were adamant that they had nothing to do with the funding, yet then they held back funding for Leitrim County Council. This is the way the Government controls funding actually getting out to local authorities. It sets up a local authority group that filters the funding applications such that they send to the Department only those applications they know will get funded, but then the Department questions and queries them. It creates this barrier and funding is not got out to the bodies that need it to help homeless people. I therefore ask the Tánaiste that funding be made available urgently to ensure that a pilot project may proceed. If that pilot project does not work, so be it, but at least let it proceed.

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