Results 301-320 of 4,865 for speaker:Thomas Gould

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: How many were refused?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: Great stuff, I thank Ms Hayes. In relation to Cork City Council, how many people utilising emergency accommodation in Cork city last year passed away?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: While Mr. Ó Donnabháin is looking for that, Simon referenced here that there were 17 people that it was dealing with. How many additional people?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: I appreciate that, Chair. Going back to Cork City Council, and the Dublin Region Homeless Executive might respond, how many tenants were refused in 2023 by Cork City Council?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: Would the figure be that plus the 17 Simon was dealing with?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: I will check that with Simon when it is in later. What is the corresponding figure for the Dublin Region Homeless Executive?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: There was a facility in Cork specifically for survivors of institutional abuse. Unfortunately, that is also being used now to accommodate people in emergency accommodation. That was specifically for people who were victims of institutional abuse. Is it possible that that would be returned to that category of person? Does the Dublin Region Homeless Executive have a similar facility or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: What I would ask is that for those who were victims of institutional abuse, places would remain open for them. Lastly, in relation to people in recovery, I am being told - Ms Hayes touched on it earlier - that people who come out of treatment who were in recovery because of things they have done in the past are failing to get access to homeless emergency accommodation. What is the policy in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: The committee might come back to it later on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: I want to go back to Cork City Council and the DRHE with regard to people in recovery. I am concerned that issues in the past prevent from accessing emergency accommodation people who come out of treatment and are in recovery. Is this something the witnesses are looking at?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: I thank Ms O’Brien. Mr. Ó Donnabháin mentioned there were 103 homeless families in the Cork and Kerry region, with 55 of them in Cork. This means there are 48 homeless families in Kerry. Is this correct? Are all of the homeless families in Cork included in the 55?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: There are 48 between Cork county and Kerry.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: I was contacted by two schoolteachers who said they were very concerned about pupils who are very good in school but whom they have seen go backwards because their families have entered emergency accommodation. One of the teachers asked me what is being done and whether Cork City Council is looking to keep families as close to their communities and schools as possible. Whether it is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: What about Dublin?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: I speak to families who have children with special needs or additional needs. For them to commute long distances, and for any child to commute a long distance, can be very distressing. We speak about trauma. The witnesses spoke about having a trauma-informed approach when dealing with families and people entering homelessness. Is this something they are building on? I know from myself...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: How many does Cork City Council have available now? Is there a figure it tries to get each month?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: I want to go back to the repair and lease scheme. It has gone from €60,000 to €80,000. The numbers in Cork are quite small. Is this because it is more expensive in Cork to repair and lease these properties? Excellent work was done in Waterford and the people there should be commended on it. Why has this not been done in Cork? Is it because Cork is more expensive? What is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: I have a question on Dublin Region Homeless Executive, the work it does and how it is co-ordinated. I would love to see co-ordination like that in Munster, with Cork as the lead, perhaps, and Limerick and Waterford and all the other counties.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: I thank everyone for being here today. I have limited time so I will try to be brief. Mr. Moynihan gave a figure of 176 age-friendly homes having been delivered in 2023. That seems a shockingly low figure after listening to the statistics that he and Ms Loughran have given to us. What should the target for delivery be, in Mr. Moynihan's opinion?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Update on Homelessness: Discussion (5 Mar 2024)

Thomas Gould: I have only been a TD for four years but I was a councillor before that, since 2009. Up until about three years ago, I had never seen an older person come to me for social housing. People had come to me to downsize or to rightsize to a single bedroom unit. I am dealing with a couple, a 62-year-old and a 64-year-old. He is 64. He said to me, "Tommy, I am going to be retired." He said the...