Plan on homeless '€6m underfunded'

A forthcoming strategy to address homelessness in Dublin will be €6 million underfunded, it has been claimed.

The chief executive of the Dublin Simon Community, Mr Greg Maxwell, said the Dublin Homelessness Action Plan 2004-2006 would require about €66 million to implement.

"About €60 million has been allocated. We need the further €6 million to fund increased costs, for services that began last year and now want to stay up and running, and for new services which were agreed last year to start this year."

Mr Manar Merzouk, director of research with Focus Ireland, said he was aware of the projected shortfall and said it showed the "lack of a real commitment to tackle homelessness" on the part of the Government. "Homelessness is a complex issue. If we don't fund policies to solve it properly, we'll end up not solving it," he said.

The strategy, which will succeed the 2001-2003 Shaping the Future action plan on Dublin homelessness, is due to be published by the Homeless Agency in the coming weeks. Its main aim will be to end long-term homelessness by 2010.

While the 2001-2003 plan focused on tackling rough sleeping and the provision of emergency accommodation, this issue is widely regarded as having been addressed.

The forthcoming plan will focus on transitional and long-term housing and on homelessness prevention as well as reducing the number of rough sleepers in Dublin further, to about 50.

It will set goals to reduce the duration of homelessness for households, develop greater inter-agency work and increase housing supply for single people. Seven out of 10 homeless people are single.

"This is not the time to cut funding," said Mr Maxwell. "We have achieved so much. We're at the corner. Give us the money and we'll turn it. It is incomprehensible that the Government would not fund this strategy adequately. Gains will be lost."

The Minister of State for Housing, Mr Noel Ahern, said he was not aware an action plan for homelessness in Dublin was due in coming weeks.

"I'd say this is mainly about jockeying for position, trying to up the tempo. But I can say I don't accept there will be any €6 million shortfall. I'm quite happy all reasonable needs will be met."