Tackling homelessness

A chara, – Pádraig Ó hUiginn's letter (December 12th) prompted me to write. I am a former principal officer of much more recent vintage (retired February 2012). I had responsibility with others for Department of Environment housing division's policy and funding for homeless services. Our objective was to ensure delivery of effective, person-centred services in order to prevent, intervene, stabilise and return each client/family to independent housing and supports appropriate to their needs in the shortest possible timeframe.

So, what does the State provide via the tax and ratepayer and what charity organisations got the money? Recent Parliamentary Question replies to Deputy Terence Flanagan of November 26th, 2013 (Dáil Debates Nos 489 & 657) confirm my former department provided revenue funding of €46.5 million to county and city councils in 2012 towards the operational costs of adult and family homeless accommodation and related services; councils’ own resources provided a further €4.5m (circa 10 per cent); while HSE social inclusion taxpayer funding provided a further €33 million to bodies working in the area of health and social care services to tackle adult, child and family homelessness during 2012; making €84 million public funding in total in 2012, not including the Department of  Social Protection income and rent supplement to individual/family homeless services users.

So, what organisations got the money? A Parliamentary Question reply to Deputy Sandra McLellan on October 23rd, 2013 (Dáil Debates No 63) indicated   revenue funding by Department of Environment and county/city councils to voluntary sector providers in 2012 totalled €26.11 million and included amounts over €1m to individual charities, as follows: Simon Communities Ireland – €5m, Focus Ireland – €3.93m, Crosscare – €2.63m, St. Vincent de Paul – €2.49m; DePaul Trust – €2.2m; Novas – €1.92m; Salvation Army €1.82m; Peter McVerry Trust (PMVT) – €1.53m; with seven other charities receiving amounts ranging down from €939,000 to €253,000. This is in addition to similar amounts or more provided by HSE to the same organisations. Big business indeed for these charity service providers, but a search of their respective websites, with the honourable exceptions of Arlington Novas & PMVT, will show opaque if any disclosure of this (taxpayers’) funding! So where is the media hue and cry on behalf of the taxpayer/donor?

The "Rough Sleeper" report (Home News, December 4th) refers to 139 people sleeping rough in Dublin on November 12th, an increase of 45 in just six months, being described by Minister of State Jan O'Sullivan as unacceptable and troubling. What troubles me is that the Dublin Simon Community and Focus Ireland are tasked and funded by the public purse to provide an outreach and placement service for rough sleepers in Dublin from early morning to late night. Why are they not called to account for their performance? The Simon Communities of Ireland have one national office head and eight regional office heads/CEOs – who in the media has sought information on their salaries?

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In my recent experience, dedicated housing Ministers Michael Finneran, Willie Penrose and Jan O’Sullivan – with their senior Ministers and department officials – have worked tirelessly to protect budgets and deliver housing-led policy solutions for homeless people and families, while some institutional charity service providers have subjected Ministers to, in my view, unfair criticism.

Despite my overall reservations about the management and finances at the top of the larger homeless organisations, I think staff and volunteers working to improve the plight of homeless people day and night, such as the soup run, the detox and mental health workers, deserve enormous credit and thanks for their efforts with people who are the most marginalised and lost in our society.

I would also have high regard for the approach of individual charities, for example, the Iveagh Trust and Threshold placement and tenancy services in securing independent living for homeless people referred to their services.

So, let’s see more people going “home” in 2014 and less protocols, bureaucracy and institutionalisation all round. –   Is mise,

MARY TULLY,

Stradbrook Road,

Blackrock, Co Dublin.