Aideen Hayden (Labour) | Oireachtas source

There are some 150 families in the Dublin region living in hotels because they are homeless, at a substantial cost to the State and with significant distress caused to them. I want to bring the attention of the House to a new initiative launched today as part of a campaign to prevent families from becoming homeless in the Dublin region. It is a collaboration between the housing charity, Threshold, with which I am involved, and the four Dublin local authorities. As part of this service, Threshold will operate a freephone helpline for families who are worried about losing their rented homes. It will work with these families and the local authorities to make sure as a matter of priority that they do not become homeless. One of the interesting things about the scheme is that an agreement has been reached with the Department of Social Protection to increase the amount of rent supplement that such families will receive where it is not possible to keep them in their rented homes because of increases in rents. It is a most welcome initiative which will prevent a number of families in the Dublin region from becoming homeless.

This is the tip of the iceberg. I am conscious about the fact that, while the initiative relates to Dublin families, there are many single people in the Dublin region who are at risk of homelessness. Threshold is a national service and we know that many families outside the Dublin region are also experiencing this problem. As a matter of urgency, similar services need to be rolled out across the country. I suppose one could say this is like putting a finger in the dyke. We need to look at issues such as rents going up at a dramatic rate, by 20%, 40% and 50% in some cases. There has been a lot of debate in the media about rent controls. I ask the Leader for a similar debate in this House. We should also look at the supply of housing, particularly for low-income families because there is no doubt that housing for such families is a major issue, particularly in urban Ireland.