In spite of a commitment under the National Development Plan 2000-2006 to halve the number of homeless people in the State during the course of that programme, the situation has actually deteriorated.
At the launch of the annual report of Focus Ireland yesterday Sr Stanislaus Kennedy accused the Coalition Government of a planning failure and of adding to the chaos and misery which is caused by homelessness.
It was harsh and astringent criticism. But then, this champion of the underdog and the dispossessed has never minced her words. Defending the Government, the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal, Mr Noel Ahern, accepted that targets had not been met. But he said the quality of accommodation being provided for more than 5,000 homeless people in hostels and B&Bs was much better than in previous years and that only about 100 people were currently sleeping rough.
Clearly, deprivation and misery is in the eye of the beholder. But few would argue that bed and breakfast accommodation is suitable for families and pressurised individuals, particularly when they are required to vacate the premises during the day and have nowhere else to go. In that regard, the average length of stay in B&Bs has lengthened from 20 days 10 years ago to 18 months today. The situation has been exacerbated by a failure of local authorities to meet social housing targets. Last year there was a shortfall of almost 20 per cent in the number of units built. And the housing organisation Threshold warned three months ago that only 4,000 units might be completed this year, against a target of 6,600.
The seriousness of the situation can be judged from the fact that more than 48,000 households are awaiting accommodation on local authority lists. Funding for social housing and the homeless increased under the National Development Plan. But inflation in the housing market and the cost of accommodation gobbled most of it up. There was also a significant increase in public demand. The Government is now preparing to launch an apartment-building scheme for homeless people as a means of saving money. This public/private partnership arrangement is designed to provide accommodation for those in greatest need while saving the State the high cost of their B&B accommodation and rent allowances. Private developers will build and operate the accommodation units on a pilot basis in Dublin and in other local authority areas. But funding arrangements have yet to be worked out. And it could be years before the first units become available. The shortage in social housing must be addressed immediately.