Liam Quaide (Cork East, Social Democrats)

Homelessness is well recognised as both a cause and a consequence of mental health difficulties. For the many thousands of children in this country who are caught up in the various forms of homelessness, whether that be conditions of extreme overcrowding, couch surfing, time spent in domestic violence shelters or emergency accommodation, mental health and developmental outcomes are likely to be very serious and far reaching. In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, the need for safe and stable accommodation is fundamental to the realisation of all other needs for the person in order to attain a decent quality of life. Therefore, a foundational aspect of mental health is being denied to many of our young people by Government policy. That basic sense of security many of us take for granted, which stems from the fulfilment of the core need for a home, is damaged by homelessness and precarious living.

There are also other psychological effects, as Róisín McDonnell, family services manager with Focus Ireland explains:

All the normal childhood stuff goes out the window. Sleepovers are gone, friends coming to play, even family visiting may be gone. They will have to give up pets. They cannot celebrate birthdays. They have no space for their toys. Even the kids who seem to be coping at first, may become withdrawn or they may start acting out. They will never say 'I am angry because I am homeless' but they are a ball of confusion. 'Why has this happened to me? Why is my mam upset?'

Róisín hits on an important point, which is that children have great difficulty in emotionally assimilating to traumatic experiences. They often blame themselves for misfortunes they or their families are caught up in. Homelessness pervades the young person's experiences. Not only do they live with an internal lack of security, but they see worry, stress and unhappiness etched on their parents' faces day in, day out. Seeing a parent or parent figure distressed or at their wits' end much of the time is a particularly deep psychological wound that many of these children will carry with them into adulthood. The core response from the Government must be recognition, in the first instance, that housing policy over successive Dáil terms involving the same parties has failed. We will get nowhere fast if it does not face this reality. Countries such as Austria have implemented housing policies that have been much smarter. Austria has been more versatile in how it has used public money, which has consequently been more effective. As a party, the Social Democrats have put forward pragmatic solutions to the housing disaster.

The mental health fallout from the housing emergency will continue until the Government treats the issue as an emergency. We need to see much increased investment in the range of supports needed for homeless people, including multidisciplinary treatment for addiction and mental health difficulties, as recommended and highlighted by organisations such as Depaul and Simon.

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