John Minihan (Progressive Democrats)

I welcome the debate on this motion. The issue of homelessness is one in which all Members have a keen interest, especially in the current economic climate. We all hope to arrive at a position where there will no longer be homeless people on our streets. Equally, however, we must acknowledge that there are many and varying reasons for homelessness. In this debate I will concentrate on a new element of homelessness which arises from the expansion of the EU.

I have had a series of meetings with the Cork Simon Community and the Cork Homeless Forum in this regard and as a result, some interesting statistics have come to hand. I will highlight them because they must be included in the overall debate on this issue. In Cork city significant progress has been made in recent years in ending homelessness. Due to a strong and productive partnership approach by all the relevant and statutory agencies, a significant base of expertise and provision has been developed that has enabled the Cork Homeless Forum to be effective in its approach to addressing a broad spectrum of issues related to homelessness.

The forum's first action plan was produced in 2000 and it was subsequently revised in 2005. It included an extensive range of specific actions incorporating timescales for delivery and inbuilt evaluation processes. A comprehensive consultative process with all key stakeholders informed the development of these action plans. The report published last year, the review of the Government's homeless strategies by Fitzpatrick Associates, described the approach in Cork as an example of good practice that all local homeless forums could follow, regardless of the nature of the specific problems within their areas. I congratulate those associated with it.

Notwithstanding the positive impact the Cork Homeless Forum is having on homelessness in Cork, an issue is now emerging to put pressure on the homeless services in the city. An increasing number of people from some of the EU accession states are getting into difficulties, ending up sleeping rough and living in tents or other unsuitable accommodation. Many have poor English language skills and access to social welfare support is limited. While the Health Service Executive, HSE, and the community welfare officers have been doing all they can to help alleviate some of the difficulties being encountered by people from these EU states, they must work within the parameters of the habitual residence condition or HRC. They are, therefore, restricted in the level of help and support they can offer.

This situation is further compounded by the direction that local authorities have received from the Department to the effect that people from the EU states who present as homeless should not be accommodated unless they satisfy the requirements of the HRC. This, in turn, has limited the scope of local authorities and voluntary agencies to respond. We must examine this situation. It is newly emerged and I believe we can tweak the regulations and move in a certain direction to help alleviate these problems.

There are interesting statistics regarding how this problem has grown. In 2005, the Cork Simon Community, in monitoring homelessness in the city, found that 16% of residents at its emergency shelter were from the EU accession states. An average of 27% of service users in the Cork Simon Community day centre were from these states. Another 19% of people living rough and 25% of the people availing of temporary cold weather shelter over the Christmas and new year period of 2005 were from EU accession states.

This trend increased dramatically in 2006. A total of 58 of the current 491 service users in the Cork Simon Community day centre were from the EU states while 35% of all people living rough were EU immigrants. Throughout January during the nightly soup run volunteers made contact with an average of 19 people per night but in February this increased to 25. This compares with an average of three people from EU states in the same period in 2005.

The Cork Simon Community outreach team said in a report that the majority of EU nationals arriving in this country who find themselves in difficulty have basic English language skills or none at all. Many arrive with little more than €200 and high expectations of finding work immediately. Most are unaware of the cost of living or of the high cost of private rented accommodation. While the majority have skills related to the construction industry, most do not have the required Safe Pass to work in the building trade nor the resources to acquire the Safe Pass. Their level of awareness of their rights and entitlements under employment legislation is low. As a result they are vulnerable to exploitation and at a further risk of homelessness.

Many travel here in search of their fortune. We must acknowledge this. The key issues highlighted by the Cork Simon Community in this regard are that these people have no income, no access to suitable accommodation, limited capacity to access employment and little or no support from the statutory or voluntary agencies. Of the 105 people the organisation came into contact with in the relevant period, 80% had no income. It should be noted that the HSE and community welfare officers are aware of the situation and they continue to be proactive in helping individuals case by case who find themselves in difficulty. However, they are still required to work within the parameters of the HRC and are, therefore, restricted in the level of help and support they can give.

Existing accommodation services for homeless people are specialist in their nature. They were established to respond to the specific needs of people with addiction, mental health and other support needs. These services are in high demand and are experiencing full occupancy on an ongoing basis. The accommodation needs of people coming from the EU are primarily economic and employment related and neither the State nor the voluntary sector has responded adequately to them. Existing homeless services do not have the spare capacity and were not designed to respond adequately to their needs. This lack of alternative homeless services and alternative sources of support for people from the EU who are in difficulty has the potential to displace other people who are homeless.

We can move in a certain direction on this issue with a little thought. There are a growing number of homeless people from the EU, and existing services that are designed to respond to a specific range of needs of people who are homeless are not an appropriate response to their needs. These services are already functioning to capacity.

Perhaps the Minister of State will consider a number of options. I ask him to examine the option of repealing the habitual residence condition. I ask this not in an effort to play politics but in an effort to make a contribution to this debate. The Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004 is having an unintentional but noticeable impact on a small but growing number of men and women from the EU states who arrive to this country to work. The financial destitution and subsequent homelessness of people from these states can be immediately addressed and resolved.

Repealing the HRC would help alleviate the financial destitution, assist people in attempting to access private rented accommodation, support people in attempting to develop English language skills and assist them in accessing our labour market. All statistics show we need these people in our labour market. I do not believe we should be so strict and stringent in not accommodating them.

We should also extend the remit of the Reception and Integration Agency to include short-term accommodation. Consideration should be given to this so that we can provide immigrants with short-term accommodation while they establish themselves. We should also provide clarity and direction to local authorities and voluntary agencies for dealing with these people. The establishment of an integrated referral service to assist people from the EU member states to move to independent living could go a long way towards helping them.

We have all heard the stories of the Irish abroad. It is the first weeks and months that people coming here find most difficult. They have come here to work, not to live off social welfare. We should meet and encourage them and help them get set up. I ask for this to be considered.