Bleak winter lies ahead for our homeless

EXTRA beds that will be made available to the homeless during the winter won’t be enough for the hundreds expected to be seeking shelter according to the Peter McVerry Trust.

Last week Dublin City Council announced an additional 195 beds for individuals and 55 units for families and couples would be made available under the annual Cold Weather Initiative.

There are also plans for a further 80 rooms for families but the Peter McVerry Trust responded to the news by accusing the Government of failing to stem the flow of people into homelessness.

CEO, Pat Doyle, says that failure is undermining “enormous frontline efforts” that are taking place to tackle the emergency.

“In the first nine months of 2015 the homeless sector in Dublin has moved 729 people out of homelessness, an increase of over 200 on the same period last year,” he said.

“Despite that increase and despite the 271 new beds added to the homeless system in Dublin last winter, we face a situation where we need to add an even larger number this winter.

“The reality is that the Cold Weather Initiative is planning to provide additional homeless accommodation to over 500 people between now and Christmas.

“That in itself is a scandalous reflection of the failure by Government to protect those most at risk in Irish society.

“The Government must listen to the calls from agencies like Peter McVerry Trust to increase rent supplement rates, to immediately introduce rent certainty, and to progress modular and traditional housing much quicker than is currently the case.

“If housing supply was the only issue involved in tackling homelessness then we wouldn’t have had 5,000 homeless people at the height of the housing boom.”