Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister of State, Deputy O'Dowd, will be familiar with the context in which I am raising this issue. It is regrettable that the small cohort of young people who live in emergency accommodation, having found themselves homeless, appears to be getting bigger. Like all other young people, they have been affected by the 2009 supplementary budget cut and other cuts since then. I refer specifically to the reduction in the rate of jobseeker's allowance to €100 for those under the age of 21 and to €144 for those between the ages of 22 and 25. It was presented by the Government at the time as a way of incentivising young people to get involved in training. It was suggested that it would lead to a reduction in the costs of the Department. The actual effect of this measure was to increase the costs of the Department. It has served to trap some young people in emergency accommodation, which definitely adds to the long-term cost to the State.

Some young people who are in care under section 5 cannot access training courses or, in some cases, housing because they have not been in care for long enough. I refer to young people whose family relationships have broken down. Their families are responsible for them until they reach adulthood. When they turn 18 and are turfed out, they can be caught in a situation of homeless and all that entails for them. Some of them end up in emergency accommodation because they are unable to afford private accommodation. Last week, a joint committee debated the effect this is having in Dublin and other urban areas. The cap on rent allowance imposed by this Government does not take account of the increases in rents on the private market in Dublin and some other places. The cap was unrealistic because there have been no rent decreases. It has forced people into homelessness. It has forced young people to remain in emergency accommodation. Young people are facing prolonged homelessness because of this situation. This can lead to chronic homelessness.

A growing number of young people are caught in a poverty trap as a result of the social welfare cuts I have mentioned. The Minister of the day said the cuts in question would alleviate these problems. I raised an aspect of this issue on Topical Issues the week before last. Dublin City Council and the Cara group, which runs a foyer scheme in my area, are trying to change the prevailing ethos of the centre in question so that it is no longer specifically aimed at the cohort I am talking about - young people between the ages of 18 and 25 who have nowhere else to go. They want it to be a general homeless centre. I will not go over that aspect of the matter again. Focus Ireland has raised a number of key points in relation to this cohort. I ask the Minister of State to set out the Government's response to the amended proposals made by Focus Ireland after its initial ideas were rejected. I hope they will be taken on board in order to address some of our concerns about the factors that are causing young people to be caught in a poverty trap and become homeless.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh for bringing this matter before the House. I am responding to him on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Burton. The €100 rate of jobseeker's allowance was introduced for claimants under the age of 20 in April 2009. This rate was applied to claimants up to the age of 21 from December 2009. A rate of €144 applies to claimants between the ages of 22 and 24. The measures that encourage young jobseekers to improve their skills and remain active in the labour market in order to avoid the risk of becoming long-term unemployed will help them to progress into sustainable employment on a long-term basis. A higher rate of €160 applies if a person who is in receipt of a rate of jobseeker's allowance as described above is participating in a course of education or training.

I understand the Deputy has been contacted with regard to these measures by Focus Ireland. The Minister for Social Protection met representatives of Focus Ireland on 15 May last to discuss a number of issues relating to homelessness, including the situation of young people who receive the reduced rates of jobseeker's or supplementary welfare allowance. Officials are in ongoing contact with the organisation with regard to its concerns. While the primary issue in this regard relates to housing rather than income support, the Department of Social Protection has an important role in the delivery of solutions to homelessness. Generally, this role relates to income maintenance where homeless people have entitlements to the full range of social welfare schemes subject to the normal qualifying conditions. The Department also engages in interagency responses to homelessness. In this context, it will continue to engage with Focus Ireland and other groups on issues relating to reduced rate payments. I am informed by the Minister, Deputy Fitzgerald, that €17 million was spent on the after-care of young people last year.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I could have written the Minister of State's reply myself. We have heard some of it before. It does not take full cognisance of the fact that the changes in the rate are making it difficult for these young people to access alternative accommodation. Very few one-bedroom flats or apartments are available. Bedsits are no longer an option because they have been ruled out. These people are being squeezed at every level. They do not have the ability to access stable long-term accommodation. Fewer facilities are available to them. They cannot access training courses because they do not have long-term addresses.

During the debate that took place when these changes were being made, I asked why we should discriminate against young adults, which is what we are doing by applying a different rate to them. We are not taking account of the fact that a young adult of 18 has the same needs as an adult of 35. Some young people, particularly those who are homeless, have more needs than adults. Greater support is required to address their needs and ensure accommodation is available to them on a stable basis. That will allow them to access the other supports that the Minister has put in place. I hope those supports will be developed to assist homeless people in general. A specific homelessness strategy, along the lines of the suggestions made by Focus Ireland and others, is needed. One of the suggestions that was rejected in the past was the idea that homelessness should be recognised as a qualification for the full rate of social welfare.

Therefore, if people are homeless, and there are many ways of proving that it is not open to fraud, they would be able get the full rate to take account of their additional needs.

The additional points Focus Ireland was hoping to raise when it met the Minister have not been raised because this issue was not on the agenda. I urge the Minister to meet Focus Ireland again to discuss the need for the regular social care supports for this cohort of people and the need for six-monthly case reviews. There is also the question of the commitment by the young people that they will engage but also that the key worker who is assigned to them will fully engage and ensure that all of these issues would be addressed-----

Olivia Mitchell (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy should conclude.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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-----including the need for more facilities such as the Cara foyer or the foyer in Cork, which is run by the city council, not by an organisation which looks like it is getting out of the delivery of foyers.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I assure Deputy Ó Snodaigh the Minister will be given a copy of his comments for direct reply. The kernel is that the Minister has met with Focus Ireland and the Department continues to engage with it on the issues the Deputy has raised today.