Seanad debates

Tuesday, 17 November 2020

Traveller Accommodation: Statements

 

10:30 am

Photo of Rebecca MoynihanRebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Flynn for raising this issue on the Order of Business and putting on it on the agenda of the House today.

There is rightfully a lot of talk about the housing crisis but little attention is given to the long-term lack of supply of Traveller accommodation. Each local authority is required to have a Traveller accommodation action plan. The new plans came in two years ago but by the end of October 2019, less than one third of the funds allocated for Traveller accommodation last year has been spent with 14 local authorities have failed to spend any of their Traveller housing budget. This is consistent year after year and there is a lack of action at local level on spending the budget. There has been some intervention. In May 2013, the then Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, Ms Jan O'Sullivan, requested local authorities to provide detailed explanations as to why they had not drawn down their allocations for Traveller housing but no explanations were forthcoming, however. In 2017, the then Minister of State, Deputy English, took on this issue and commissioned a report from the Housing Agency, which found consistent failings in the local authority delivery model. There was substantial under-delivery over 16 years with only 68% of units delivered, and there was an underspend of the allocated budget. The review also found local authority and political opposition to Traveller accommodation was a factor in non-delivery. In one of the local authorities mentioned by Senator Fitzpatrick, which had no Traveller accommodation spend, there was major opposition to housing people following the Carrickmines fire. The opposition came from local people as there was a lack of consultation. Another audit in 2019 found that despite the provisions, local authorities:

... have failed to meet the full scale of accommodation need among this community. This is evidenced by the extremely high rate of Traveller homelessness, the increase in numbers of Traveller households sharing accommodation and living in overcrowded conditions, and the uneven record of delivery of Traveller-specific accommodation among local authorities and also approved housing bodies.

What are the consequences for this and how can we tackle it? Senator Flynn has referred to the consequences and they are obvious. Traveller families are over-represented among homeless people, accounting for 10% of people in emergency accommodation. Traveller families accounted for 23% of homeless families in 2019 in Kerry County Council. In Dublin, during the first lockdown, homeless Traveller families were advised by some homeless services that they could no longer use the self-locate accommodation option via hotels and had to return to their parents' homes, leading to some of these families sleeping in cars. According to a published study entitled Discrimination and Inequality in Housing in Ireland, Travellers are 22 times more likely than other white Irish respondents to report they have experienced discrimination in access to housing. Thus, while Irish Travellers represent less than 1% of the Irish population, they comprise more than 10% of the homeless population. Our reliance on HAP and rent supplement has meant that Travellers often face significant problems accessing private rental accommodation as landlords discriminate. As we have seen before the Equality Tribunal, Travellers are discriminated against in so many areas of life, including jobs and accessing services. That applies also to the private rented sector, which we are over-relying on.

A secure home is a fundamental right. For children, a secure home is essential to educational attainment. For adults, educational attainment is essential to finding a job. Without a job, the cycle of poverty and deprivation continues. Culturally-appropriate, hygienic accommodation with facilities and Traveller-specific accommodation is essential. Traveller accommodation plans and the lack of delivery somewhat mirror the broader trends in the non-delivery of social housing but an additional layer of prejudicial attitudes still permeates the State and underpin how it and individuals deal with members of the Traveller community.In its assessment of the local authority Traveller accommodation programme, the Irish Traveller Movement stated that 30% of Traveller families are currently in need of accommodation. Yet, eight local authorities have set targets below the need identified by them over the course of their five-year programmes. We have, therefore, an inadequate and understated needs planning and a failure to address families in temporary roadside and overcrowded accommodation for homelessness.

Some 1,045 families live in official local authority housing sites. Of this number, however, 257 share overcrowded basic site facilities with extended families. According to the aforementioned ESRI report, 56% of Travellers lived in crowded accommodation compared with only 8% of non-Travellers. Local authorities, local representatives and residents have a responsibility not to oppose this housing but to provide housing for all segments of our society. If local authorities cannot deliver them, we need to introduce measures to ensure local authorities draw down on their allocation for Traveller accommodation, or if they are unwilling, reallocate those funds towards specific approved housing bodies to deliver specific Traveller accommodation housing.

The effect on health outcomes for Travellers who live in substandard accommodation is huge and that has a massive knock-on effect. I am proposing the establishment of an independent statutory body for Traveller accommodation. At the moment, the existing body is only advisory and it needs to have more executive ability to make local authorities provide Traveller-specific accommodation or punish local authorities that are unwilling to do so. This agency should draw up a national programme for Traveller-specific accommodation in consultation with Travellers. If local authorities will not spend the money, then approved housing bodies should be allowed to build Traveller-specific accommodation. We can remove it from local authorities and invest in approved housing bodies.

Most Travellers and Traveller organisations want to see their local authority deliver the housing they need. Year after year, however, we see an under-delivery of Traveller specific accommodation. It is no longer good enough, particularly when the money and need is there and we have such a health crisis at the moment.

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