Dublin city councillors not co-operating on housing - Kelly

Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly is not getting necessary co-operation from Dublin City councillors to tackle the growing family and child homelessness crisis, he says.

It was not “sustainable” to continue housing homeless families in hotel-type accommodation, he said.

However, solutions he was putting to Dublin City, and other local authority, councillors were being rejected.

He was reacting to the report in Monday's Irish Times that there were now almost 1,000 homeless children with their families in emergency accommodation in Dublin.

The latest figures from the Dublin Region Homeless Executive show that during the week of March 23rd to March 29th there were 411 families in emergency accommodation with 911 children.

Biggest month-on-month increase

The figures compare with 371 families and 803 children in February, and represent the biggest month-on-month increase in since comparable data starting being gathered last June.

Mr Kelly said he disagreed with a decision by Dublin city councillors last week to reject a proposal to refurbish 64 empty flats at the O'Devaney Gardens flat complex to provide temporary accommodation for up to 400 homeless families over the next five years.

“That was a big project and an important project and I don’t agree with that decision,” he said.

The Minister was speaking at the opening of a new social housing scheme, Peadar Kearney House, providing 56 homes on the site of the old Liberty House flats.

Councillors who rejected the O’Devaney Garden proposals argued the flats should be regenerated fully instead of refurbished for five years of use.

Mr Kelly said he “completely believe[d] in regeneration. I don’t want to mix up the two things”.

‘Spending millions’

“But the simple fact of the matter is we are spending millions on hotels, it’s not a sustainable solution.

“We wanted to provide apartments for people who needed them, families with children who needed them, and we were going to look at developing regeneration on a phased basis.

“The councillors decided in their wisdom that wasn’t the right road to take. We are under very big time pressure and we have to find alternatives.... But I do need co-operation. I need co-operation from the local authorities in particular.

“Certainly that co-operation needs to reach a level that hasn’t been reached yet.

“My real concern is that we will be back here in another month’s time talking about the fact Dublin city councillors have opposed another two or three or four or five areas.

"So when you ask me about issues in relation to homelessness, I can provide the funding, I can provide the policies, I can issue dictats or statements or regulations to local authorities, but Dublin City Council and other local authorities - they have responsibilities and they have to work with me on that."