I wish to share my time with Deputy Frances Fitzgerald.
Adjournment Debate. - Problem of Homelessness.
I am sure that is satisfactory.
I raised this matter because at this time when we have an excellent economy and standard of living we have a dreadful problem of homelessness not only in Dublin and Cork but in many rural towns. I am not suggesting this problem has arisen lately because I recall cardboard boxes in doorways close to this House over a number of years. As late as last night I saw an unfortunate person sleeping in a doorway in a cardboard box in Baggot Street.
We have some excellent voluntary bodies, including the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and others, who give the homeless soup and other assistance and they must given credit for their good work. However, we need to monitor this problem more closely.
I tabled a Dáil question on this matter and the reply I received stated that everything possible was being done. This morning I contacted the Eastern Health Board to ascertain the scale of the problem and by 5 p.m. this evening I was unable to get a satisfactory reply. I read an article three or four days ago by Sister Stanislaus Kennedy in The Irish Times which suggested there had been a 150 per cent increase in the problem and I wanted to check if that is true. If it is, the problem is alarming by any standards. I was not able to establish if that is the case.
A number of Departments are involved in this area, including the Departments of Health and Social Welfare. Local authorities and State agencies are also involved. Co-ordination of the work of those bodies is required. The scale of the problem must be ascertained and it must be tackled in a coherent way. I ask the Minister to do that.
I thank Deputy Walsh for allowing me time to raise this issue. It is essential that we create a much greater awareness of this growing and disturbing problem, particularly in Dublin, of an increasing number of young people becoming homeless during the year. If we do not do something about the problem we will fast track those children into greater deprivation, prostitution, danger and hopelessness. We must plan and put in place appropriate systems of support and practical solutions which will ensure that Irish children do not end up homeless. It may be difficult for many people to accept that many children under the age of 12 and hundreds under the age of 18 are becoming homeless and at risk of living rough on the streets of Dublin. Most of us only catch glimpses of those children and by not seeing them and the conditions in which they live we may forget the urgency of the problem. We know they are increasing in number but, as Deputy Joe Walsh said, even one homeless child is unacceptable in a thriving economy such as ours. It appears we are talking annually about 400 homeless children in Dublin, a huge proportion of whom also emigrate to the cities of London and Birmingham.
There is need for a national survey to identify the numbers of homeless children and the circumstances which led them on to the streets. We need to concentrate on the development of the local services they need and an immediate identification and increase in the numbers of emergency places to cope with them as the seven emergency places at present available are inadequate. We know that children are sleeping in doorways, vacant buildings and Garda stations.
We really must take urgent action. Dublin is following the pattern of many other urban areas. On our streets tonight there are children as young as ten and 12, documented by agencies working with the homeless, looking for their next "fix" and selling their bodies to get the money they need. A recent study of adult homeless people indicated that some 50 per cent had a history of being in care and that 20 per cent of adult homeless, as children, slept on the street. Therefore, the adult homeless will have been the former child homeless. If we do not tackle this serious problem, not only are we failing those young homeless out there this evening, we are participating in consigning a proportion of them to the streets in the longer term. I hope a major initiative will be undertaken in this area.
I welcome the opportunity taken by Deputies Joe Walsh and Frances Fitzgerald to raise this issue of homelessness, particularly at Christmas when most people are particularly concerned about their plight.
Earlier this year, local authorities carried out an assessment of the number of homeless people as part of an overall assessment of local authority housing needs. That assessment showed that the overall need for the provision of local authority housing had stabilised and that the number of homeless people — a total of 2,501 — had fallen slightly since the last assessment in 1993 when the figure was 2,667. While the figure for the number of homeless is essentially a "snapshot" of the situation, the figures indicate that the steps being taken to deal with homelessness are working.
Various measures have been taken in recent times to alleviate the problem of homelessness, the most significant being the expansion of the local authority housing programme — from 1,000 "starts" in 1992; to 3,500 in 1993 and 1994; and 3,900 in 1995 and 1996. This has benefited all groups in need of housing, not least the homeless, significant numbers of whom have been, and will continue to be, provided with accommodation.
The capital assistance scheme for voluntary bodies continues to provide accommodation for homeless people. A large part of the activity under this scheme, generally between one-third and one-half, is on the provision of accommodation for homeless people. Examples of major projects are the Salvation Army hostel at Granby Row, Dublin, the Focus development at Stanhope Green, Dublin and Simon Community projects.
The level of recoupment of local authority current expenditure on the accommodation of homeless people was increased from 80 per cent to 90 per cent from April 1993. As a result of the increased level of activity by local authorities, the total recoupment paid by the Department of the Environment has increased from £674,000 in 1992 to just over £3 million in 1996.
In November 1993, the Eastern Health Board, by arrangement with Dublin Corporation, introduced an after-hours referral service up to 1.00 a.m., including weekends, to assist homeless persons after normal working hours.
This time last year we announced the homeless initiative with the aim of securing better co-ordination and delivery of services for homeless people in the Dublin-Kildare-Wicklow area where the problem is undoubtedly greatest. Arising from this, new administrative arrangements and structures have been set up to co-ordinate and streamline services. As part of that initiative, funding was announced for resettlement services and hostel-based care and support services provided by voluntary bodies in the area for homeless people. Dublin Corporation has expended £273,500 on these services in 1996, 90 per cent of which has been recouped by the Department of the Environment. The voluntary bodies funded under the initiative include the Dublin Simon Community, Focus Point and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. Homelessness has been one of the priorities of the Department of the Environment in the last few years.
When our economy is booming, there is an obligation on all to ensure that those most in need share in the benefits of that growth. We can be reasonably satisfied at the extent to which the measures we are taking are making inroads into homelessness, but there are certainly no grounds for complacency. Therefore, we will continue to keep the situation under close review, and refining and extending our response measures, as the situation demands.