Charities unite in call for incoming government to end long term homelessness in Ireland by 2030

Irish homeless charities have united in a call for the incoming government to end long term homelessness in Ireland by 2030, while Cork North Central Independent Ireland TD Ken O’Flynn feels a merger of such organisations could help combat overall homelessness in Ireland.

The Irish Homeless Policy Group (IHPG), which includes Focus Ireland, Threshold, and the Irish Refugee Council, have come together to outline 10 key actions they are calling for inclusion in the programme for government.

These include developing collaborative structures to end homelessness and ensuring more than 55,000 homes are built each year to meet housing needs.

The IHPG is also looking for the government to fully implement the Youth Homelessness Strategy, introduce measures to tackle issues facing homeless families, improve mental health services for people experiencing homelessness, and to improve the transparency of access to homeless services.

Recent homelessness figures released show a further rise in amount of people homeless in Cork, with 568 adults accessing emergency accommodation from November 18 to 24.

Speaking to The Echo, Mr O’Flynn said merging the homeless charities in Ireland could prove productive.

“Whoever is in government needs to get a handle on this because the way it is going at the moment, it is certainly heading in the wrong direction and has been heading in the wrong direction for at least the past five years. If we stay on the track we are on, we are looking at 40,000 people homeless by 2030. That is the reality of it and climbing,” Mr O’Flynn said.

“I think we need a multi-faceted approach to this. There is a housing crisis and housing emergency in this country.”

Mr O’Flynn adds that a merger of homeless charities in Ireland could help combat homelessness:

“While I think the joint statement is a very good idea, I think we should look at amalgamating a number of these homeless services into one, as well as homeless charities and NGOs that are there. I don’t think there is a point of spending hundreds of thousands of euro on administration, when it could all come under one umbrella group as a national housing body.

“I think some of the points that they have made are very relative. But I also think that it is about time of giving value for money into the homeless services and that means amalgamating groups that are doing the one thing.”