Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the victims, survivors and their families in the Gallery. I thank Deputy Coppinger and her group for bringing forward this motion and providing us with the opportunity to have this important discussion. In November last year, Focus Ireland published a report which found domestic violence is a significant factor in making mothers and their children homeless. I will, if I can, illustrate this point by using just two of the many examples I am dealing with now in my office. I take this opportunity to remind the Minister of State that in my constituency of Dublin Fingal West we do not, as yet, have a domestic violence refuge.

I am dealing with a woman, whom I will not name for reasons of her own health and safety, who was very seriously assaulted by her partner around seven years ago. She had been on the housing list for seven years in Dublin city at that stage. When he was sent to prison, she moved as far away as she could get while still remaining in her workplace. She moved to north County Dublin. Now, she finds herself in a situation where she is high up on the Dublin City Council housing list. She is absolutely terrified she will be offered a house because it will be in a place where her abuser, now released from prison, will be living. I have gone from the Garda to the council to the domestic violence agency and around and around but I cannot find anybody to deal with this issue. The problem, when there is interaction between domestic abuse and the homeless crisis the Government has created, is that there needs to be a senior decision-maker who can assist.

I spoke to my constituency affairs manager this morning before I came in here and we are dealing with multiple cases of people who have safety orders or protection orders but who are forced to live in the same house as their abuser. I would like the Minister of State to consider what it would be like to go home every single evening because you have no choice and nowhere else to go and must return to your abuser. This issue needs to be tackled because the interaction between domestic abuse and homelessness is making life dangerous and intolerable for victims and survivors.

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