Focus plan aims to help people find a home

A PLAN to help 2,500 individuals and families to secure their own homes by 2013 has been launched by Focus Ireland. It said it would target those who were already homeless or in danger of becoming homeless unless immediate action was taken.

Announcing the strategy yesterday, the charity urged the incoming government to set a new deadline to end long-term homelessness. Focus Ireland defines this as being homeless for more than six months.

Focus Ireland said its strategy would involve working with up to 7,000 people a year up to 2013.

Its chief executive Joyce Loughnan said there were up to 5,000 homeless people in Ireland and the majority were in emergency accommodation. There were also more than 120,000 households on social housing waiting lists across the State.

There are more than 40,000 families in mortgage arrears for over three months and the current crisis has also driven more people into extreme poverty,” she said.

Ms Loughnan said almost one in four households were in arrears with household bills at some time during 2009, and one in 10 had fallen into debt in the same period.

She said it was possible for a new government to end long-term homelessness within two years of taking office if it was committed to the issue.

The Focus Ireland plan to combat and prevent homelessness runs from 2011 to 2016 and the charity has set its own targets which run up to 2013. The plan will then be reviewed to ensure it is meeting targets.

The strategy includes the establishment of advice and information services in Cork, Sligo, Limerick, Waterford and Kilkenny by the end of 2013. These will support up to 1,800 people a year who are at risk of becoming homeless. It also focuses on the importance of introducing measures to prevent homelessness.

The plan aims to provide an additional 300 homes to enable people with ongoing support needs to move out of homelessness. Focus Ireland will hold a national conference on youth homelessness in Dublin Castle on Wednesday. The strategy can be read at focusireland.ie.