Minister concedes it will be hard to stop child homelessness surpassing 5,000
The Department of Housing published its May homelessness report last week and recorded 4,844 children in emergency accommodation. This was an increase of 69 on the previous month.
In total, homelessness figures for May stood at 15,747 people, another record increase.
At a press conference after Tuesday's Cabinet meeting, Minister Browne acknowledged that the number of children considered homeless is increasing towards 5,000.
He said: "Well, the sense of direction, unfortunately, has been upwards and we're very close to that 5,000.
"I don't want to see that threshold crossed, but it's gonna be very difficult to prevent crossing over that 5,000, considering how close we are.
"We're going to look at more measures of how we can prevent that child homelessness.
"We have seen a significant increase in homelessness. We're seeing a significant increase in people becoming homeless moving from IPAS centres.
"We've got very different categories of how people are becoming homeless, some people who need real support from health services, mental health services.
"Then you'll have people coming from high IPAS who no longer have the ability to stay in our IPAS centre because they've been regulated and don't have anywhere to live.
"Then you have families who are becoming homeless as well. We want to focus on those families and how we can increase those preventative measures for families going in and getting back out as quickly as possible."
Minister Browne stated that 40 per cent of families moving into homelessness accommodation are the recipients of notices to quit, something he said will be protected by new Rent Pressure Zone Legislation.
The Minister's comments on child homelessness were criticised by Sinn Féin's housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin, who branded it an "utterly appalling admission of failure".
He said: "Government have the power to take emergency action to tackle homelessness.
"That they choose not to take action is the reason why so many children are in emergency accommodation. They are not bystanders in this crisis."
Elsewhere, Minister Browne confirmed reports in the Sunday Times suggesting that people will need to be considered habitual residents in Ireland to access social housing and emergency homeless accommodation.
Mr Browne said that the Government will seek to pass legislation that it approved last year to "regularise habitual residents in this country who would be entitled to housing in line with the current rules around Social Protection and in line with European rules in relation to EU criteria."
This, he said, will be done to "prioritise those who are actually living in the country".
The Irish Mirror understands that additional proposals will go back to Cabinet in the coming weeks that will exempt children from the residency requirement and clarify that where an EU citizen is ineligible for social housing supports, the local authority is not required to provide homeless services.
Under EU Law, a 'right to residence' for longer than three months is available to EU citizens who have sufficient resources for themselves and their family members not to become a burden on the host member state.
The May homelessness report notes that 21 per cent of people in emergency accommodation were from the European Economic Area or the UK, while 28 per cent were non-EEA. The remaining 51 per cent were Irish citizens.
Mr Browne said EU citizens who cannot financially support themselves will be returned home.
However, he denied that this was an attempt to reduce the homelessness figures by removing non-Irish citizens from the list.
He added: "We're talking about people who might have arrived in the country, who haven't been working here, who haven't been living here, and then seek social housing supports.
"It's people who have been here very, very short term."
The Irish Mirror understands that the planned legislation will only be for new people coming into the system and anyone living in emergency accommodation will not be reassessed and it should not impact the current emergency accommodation figures.
A Department of Housing spokesperson added: "Homelessness is a hugely complex issue and the Department does not speculate on fall or increase in numbers.
"The information collected and published by the Department shows that there are many and varied reasons that households present to homeless services in local authorities and enter emergency accommodation.
"It is important that local authorities have a robust legal framework to assess households for homeless provision, and changes to the legislation are being considered on that basis."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
16 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Kilkenny granny running out of time to get lifesaving treatment for grandson (4) – ‘I will keep fighting until my or his last breath'
Diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), William Moore's muscles have begun to waste away, not strong enough to hold up his small body. William will likely be fully wheelchair-bound by the age of eight, only four years from now. He has already started using a wheelchair part-time, proving just how rapidly the DMD is progressing and taking over his body. It is also unlikely that William will live long enough to celebrate a birthday beyond his 25th year – and that's best case scenario. DMD is a genetic disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness and deterioration that rapidly gets worse over time. As DMD progresses, the heart and respiratory muscles are affected as well. As a result, DMD is ultimately fatal. Most people diagnosed with the condition die at a young age from lung and heart issues caused by it. As there is no cure available for DMD, treatments focus instead on managing symptoms and improving the patient's quality of life. For William's grandmother, Sarka Palouckova, this feels like a jail sentence. She must sit back and watch helplessly as William continues to deteriorate right in front of her very eyes. Something as small as a slight gust of wind and sometimes even just thin air is enough to knock William over. Speaking to The Irish Independent in February of this year, Sarka explained that there is no treatment available in Ireland for William. "Back when William was first diagnosed with DMD and I realised there was no treatment for him in Ireland that could help him, I just kept crying and crying and crying,' said Sarka. 'I couldn't even work. I'm his grandmother, I want to protect him. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more "To this day, I still cry because I see how quickly the DMD is progressing. It's progressing at a faster pace than was expected and in comparison to other children the same age as him with DMD. "He is already starting to walk on his toes more and walking is getting harder for him and his balance is a lot worse. He falls over now because of just thin air.' After many sleepless nights scouring the internet, William's family came across a procedure called Elevidys, a gene therapy for people diagnosed with DMD. Elevidys prevents muscle cells from degenerating and may strengthen muscles by helping the body create protein. The only problem is the procedure is not available in Ireland or any EU country for that matter. Instead, William will have to travel all the way to America to the Boston Children's hospital if he wants to get Elevidys. However, the treatment will cost William's family an astronomical $3.7m, plus additional fees after he gets the treatment. A Go Fund Me page set up by William's grandmother has so far raised just over €39,000 out of the €4m target. While William's family are so grateful for everyone who has donated so far, William's condition is getting progressively worse, at a pace faster than anyone anticipated. Following a bad fall in May that left William unable to walk for over three weeks, Sarka is terrified her grandson is running out of time. "Recently, he had a fall in May and for three and a half weeks, he stopped walking altogether,' Sarka told The Irish Independent this week. 'It was a terrifying time, and I feared he might never walk again. "Thankfully, he's back on his feet now. In the meantime, he received his first wheelchair and a stand at home, which is helping him stretch his muscles.' As a result of the fall and his muscles wasting away, William can now only walk 300 metres before he falls over or has to be carried. When his legs are too exhausted to carry him further, William uses a wheelchair to get around. "The wheelchair is bittersweet,' said Sarka as she started to cry. 'In the wheelchair he has freedom to go wherever he likes without me carrying him which makes me so happy to see him happy and free. "But the wheelchair also makes me sad because it's a reminder of how bad William's condition is getting. We didn't expect him to be using a wheelchair already at just four-and-a-half years old.' Sarka does not know where to turn to next for help. With donations slowing down on the Go Fund Me page, she is at a loss of what to do next. "I cry most days. I feel so helpless and alone. I'm trying to save my grandson, but I don't know what else I can do. But I know I can't give up. I will keep fighting until mine or his last breath. "Some people might think there are many treatments available for Duchenne right now. But unfortunately, almost all of them are targeted at mutations from exon one to exon 58. William has a rare duplication of exon 62, which makes him ineligible for nearly every one of those options. "I've even contacted several clinical trials directly, but they all replied saying he's not eligible because of that specific mutation. Right now, the only available option for him is Elevidys in the US. That's why we're doing everything we can to try and get him there.' Despite the many setbacks, Sarak will keep fighting for William's future. With the help of all those who have donated so far to the Go Fund Me page and also other supporters of William who have organised their own fundraisers for the young Kilkenny boy, Sarka hopes she will eventually be able to raise the money for William's lifesaving treatment. At the moment, two young men from Kilkenny, Seán Lawlor and Cillian Larkin, are undertaking a mammoth cycle of approximately 4,000km from Dublin all the way to Istanbul to raise money for William's treatment. Seán and Cillian are currently cycling through Bosnia and Herzegovina. 'Seán and Cillian are two incredible guys from Kilkenny cycling from Dublin to Istanbul for William,' explained Sarka. 'They started their journey on May 16, but unfortunately about two weeks ago, while they were in Milan, Italy, they faced some difficulties. Cillian had his phone pickpocketed, and Sean's bicycle was stolen. "Thankfully, they managed to sort everything out after two days and are now back on track. "I also want to mention the support from local TD Natasha Newsome-Drennan who brought William's case to the Dáil twice,' added Sarka. 'I've sent many emails to all the TDs to stand with Natasha. Initially, it seemed positive and hopeful, but unfortunately, they have now gone completely silent. It's disheartening after such an encouraging start.' Also on Saturday July 5, Ryan's Bar in Kilkenny is hosting Cuckoo Fest 25 with live music from 3pm until late to raise money for William's treatment. "We are still fighting every single day to raise the money William needs,' said Sarka defiantly. 'At the same time, we're constantly reading, reaching out, and looking into any newly opened clinical trials that might offer hope. We will never give up.' You can donate to William Moore's Go Fund Me page to help raise money for his treatment here
Irish Daily Mirror
16 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Decision to defer alcohol labelling in coming days as tariff deadline looms
A decision to defer warning labels on alcohol will be made later this week amid concerns about global trade, Tánaiste Simon Harris has confirmed. However, there has been some pushback to the plan, with one Government source suggesting that the move had very little to do with trade in the first place. The Government Trade Forum met on Wednesday at Government Buildings to discuss the tariffs situation a week out from US President Donald Trump's 90-day pause coming to an end. In May 2023, Stephen Donnelly, the former health minister, signed the Public Health (Alcohol) (Labelling) Regulations 2023. It was envisaged that the law would ensure that the labels of alcohol products would state the calorie content and grams of alcohol in the product. They would warn about the risk of consuming alcohol when pregnant and about the risk of liver disease and fatal cancers from alcohol consumption. It was due to come into effect in May 2026 following a three-year lead-in time. However, there have been rumblings in recent weeks that the plans would be shelved. Speaking at Government Buildings on Wednesday, the Tánaiste confirmed a decision to defer them will be made in the coming days. He said: 'This issue came up quite a lot at the trade forum as well. 'I'm very proud of the progress we've made as a country on public health and very proud of the Public Health Act. I would have played a part in the passage of that legislation when I was Minister for Health. 'I think there's a legitimate issue in relation to the timing, in relation to changing the labels on alcohol bottles. 'What we don't want to do for a sector that's already quite challenged and already experiencing significant disruption as a result of the trade environment, is impose, at this time, a further trade barrier or a potential trade barrier. 'I'm very much of the view that we need to defer the implementation. It will be a matter for the Minister for Health [Jennifer Carroll MacNeill] and we'll work closely together on this to decide a timeline in relation to that, but I expect we'll be able to bring clarity to this in the coming days.' However, there has been some pushback in Government over the decision to defer the labelling, with one senior source calling it 'bullsh*t'. They argued that the only products that need to be labelled are those sold on the Irish market and that labelling has 'nothing to do with trade'. Elsewhere, the Tánaiste stated that a week away from the tariff deadline, '10 per cent seems to be the baseline' and that the EU will be seeking to 'maximise the number of sectors where there is zero for zero'. He said: 'You can only judge President Trump on what he's done and in the only agreements that President Trump has reached so far, tariffs have been embedded. 'In fact, at the moment, the choice isn't between 10 per cent and zero. Remember, this day next week (Wednesday), 10 per cent is due to rise to 50 per cent if there isn't either an extension or an agreement. 'The European Union and Ireland want zero tariffs. We don't believe in tariffs. We believe they're not a good idea. 'But we also have to, obviously, negotiate a way forward here.' The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
Irish Examiner
18 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Taoiseach warns of cocaine 'epidemic' as drug use surges across Ireland
The use of cocaine across Ireland has become an 'epidemic,' the Taoiseach has said. Micheál Martin noted there is a growing use of cocaine across the country, while alcohol consumption has declined in recent years. 'From what I hear anecdotally, the use and the prevalence of cocaine use has grown significantly, and that is very worrying in terms of the health of the nation and younger people in particular,' Mr Martin said, speaking in Tokyo. 'It's very bad for one's health, apart from behavioural traits that can flow from it.' A United Nations report from 2023 found that Ireland was the fourth-highest consumer of cocaine globally. It revealed that 2.4% of people in Ireland used cocaine in 2019, the most recent year for which data was available. His comments came a day after €31m worth of cocaine was seized in Courtmacsharry, in a shipment gardaí believe was destined for the UK market. The Taoiseach added that this was not the first major cocaine seizure in the area and highlighted the massive haul recovered from the MV Matthew in recent years. Mr Martin said the issue shows that it is not just an Irish problem, but that cocaine is 'everywhere.' 'On the alcohol story, it's interesting, consumption has gone significantly down over the last 20 years, which is a positive from a public health perspective. 'But then there clearly is an increase in drug use, and we've had terrible tragedies, terrible, terrible, tragedies with people as a result of using cocaine or other drugs also. Drugs kill people and kill people pretty quickly.' When asked if he believed there was a link between the fall in alcohol consumption and the rise in cocaine use, Mr Martin said it was possible, and that he had discussed the issue just the previous weekend. 'I think we need more scientific analysis of that. There could very well be, there could very well be a link between the two and that would be very worrying,' Mr Martin said. Regarding the seizure in Courtmacsharry, Mr Martin praised gardaí, the defence forces, and the navy for their coordinated effort in intercepting the drugs. 'What's wonderful there is the integration and coordination of all the agencies working with European agencies as well. Multidisciplinary teams are the best in any field of life. Breakdown the silos,' Mr Martin said. 'They work together, you can really catch traffickers. And this has been highly effective.' Read More Gardaí suspect €31m Courtmacsherry cocaine haul was destined for UK market
