HSE blocks homelessness intiatives

Homeless organisations have raised concern over a Health Service Executive (HSE) U-turn on funding promised for the development…

Homeless organisations have raised concern over a Health Service Executive (HSE) U-turn on funding promised for the development of new services this year.

Homeless Agency spokesperson, Lisa Kelleher told ireland.comthe HSE had withdrawn a commitment to provide further development funding for 2008, notifiying the agency of its decision in January.

The agency, which distributes state funding allocated by the HSE and the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to homeless services, said it will now have to defer decisions on new projects indefinitely.

A number of applications by homeless services for funding were made through the Homeless Agency as part of the 2007 call for new and expanded services.

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The Dublin Simon Community said it had made 12 submissions for Sstate funding to develop its services this year, including drug and alcohol detox services, supported housing accommodation for vulnerable men and women, and additional emergency shelter accommodation.

The organisation said these projects were vital in order for the Government to fulfill its policy to end long-term homelessness.

Simon Community chief executive, Sam McGuinness said that for every €1 the organisation spends on their services, 50 cent comes from members of the public, 25 cent from the HSE and 25 cent from Local Authorities.

"The HSE and the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Authority have a responsibility to intervene through the cross departmental team, and the Minister himself, to resolve the deficit impact," he said.

"We should not accept that we have homeless people and rough sleepers on the streets of our city centre every day. There is currently a crisis of ownership regarding the action plan to end homelessness," he added.

Labour housing spokesman Ciarán Lynch accused the Government of "blatant dishonesty and gross hypocrisy".

He said a key objective for housing policy in the Programme for Government was addressing homelessness but that with insufficient funding the likelihood of the goal being met was "remote".

Fine Gael spokesman Dr James Reilly added his voice to the concerns, saying a €4m building on St James' Street, bought and refurbished by the HSE for use as a homeless shelter was "lying idle" because the HSE was refusing to staff it.

Describing the decision as "crazy", Dr Reilly said: "As a wealthy nation we stand indicted of not looking after the most vulnerable in our society if we do not force the Government to live up to its promise to end lon-term homelessness by 2010."