Eoghan Murphy to admit target on homeless will not be met

The Government will not meet its own target of having all homeless families moved out of emergency accommodation, such as hotels and B&Bs, by the end of the month, Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy will announce on Thursday.

Mr Murphy is expected to say that the target set by his predecessor in the Department of Housing, Simon Coveney, will not be met.

It is understood that local authority officials had advised in recent weeks that the goal was unlikely to be achieved and sources suggested the impending deadline had led to a spike in applications for emergency accommodation.

Mr Murphy met the chief executives or county mangers of the four Dublin councils – Fingal, Dublin City, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and South Dublin – on the issue earlier this week.

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Mr Coveney, who is now Minister for Foreign Affairs, had expressed hope before he moved portfolio that his aim would be achieved but Mr Murphy will instead announce that all those who were in a hotel at the end of May will, in the coming weeks, be moved or notified of the alternative accommodation they will be given.

Extra funding

The Dublin Bay South TD is also expected to use a speech at homeless charity Focus Ireland to announce a further €10 million in funding for the "family hub" programme, which provides alternatives to emergency accommodation, such as renovated buildings that have been bought specifically for homeless people.

A spokesman for Mr Murphy said there would still be a “small number of families with exceptional and individual needs housed in commercial accommodation until specific tailored solutions can be put in place”.

The dropping of the target is the latest example of Mr Coveney’s schemes being re-examined by Mr Murphy, after the new Minister also cast doubt over the future of the so-called “Help to Buy” scheme for first-time housebuyers that was announced in the last budget.

July deadline

It is not clear if Mr Murphy will set another target for moving families out of hotels and B&Bs, although it is seen as unlikely because of the spike in applications caused by the July deadline.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has also asked Mr Murphy to complete a review of Mr Coveney's flagship "Rebuilding Ireland" plan within three months, with a focus on increasing housing supply.

Mr Murphy’s spokesman said that, as of the end of May, 650 families were in hotels or B&Bs, and said this was a “considerable reduction” from 871 in March.

It was also pointed out there has been a “significant increase in families” presenting for emergency accommodation in recent months and there were now 15 “family hubs”, that would be able to accommodate 600 families, being developed at a cost of €25 million.