A 5 per cent increase in funding for the homeless is a reasonable pre-Budget request when set in the context of pay rises received recently by Ministers and senior public servants. But, with Government finances coming under pressure because of a slowdown in the economy, the most deserving and least articulate may be shuffled to the back of a long and demanding queue. That would certainly have happened five years ago. But Minister for Finance Brian Cowen may take a more compassionate view.
There is a good case, based on the Taoiseach's interpretation of the Irish Times/TNS mrbi opinion poll, for Ministers to make a gesture towards the most marginalised group in society. The Simon Communities of Ireland have argued that the forthcoming budget represents a final and critical chance for the Government to end homelessness by 2010. It requests a 5 per cent increase for services, along with a €2.5 billion investment in the provision of new social housing units. There is an opportunity here for the Government to meet vital social targets while, at the same time, maintaining employment and minimising the impact of a downturn in private housebuilding.
The Government failed to meet its commitment to provide 9,000 social housing units in each of the past two years. Now is the time to keep those promises and to make up the shortfall of 5,000 units. It is also time to address cost issues. In that regard, the British government model of holding a competition for the supply of prefabricated energy efficient homes, for erection on local authority land banks, is an interesting approach.
The Government did well in recent years by greatly reducing the number of people sleeping rough in our cities. This was achieved by funding bed and breakfast accommodation for those not able to look after themselves. But B&B accommodation is not a long-term solution. It does not meet the needs of families or provide a basis for the reintegration of damaged individuals into society. An increase in social and sheltered housing is urgently required, along with the maintenance and development of relevant services.
Up to 100 people still sleep rough on the streets of Dublin. The number of homeless people in the State may be as high as 5,000. Mr Cowen is a taoiseach-in-waiting with much to prove. His first budgets brought a significant fall in the percentage of the population affected by income poverty. He now has an opportunity to enhance that reputation for helping people at risk by ending long-term homelessness through an expanded social housing programme.