Last night in Dublin the temperature fell to below freezing. The approximately 200 or so homeless people who found themselves on the streets were forced to curl up on sheets of cardboard in doorways. Only a few thin blankets lay between them and the freezing air. Among those sleeping rough was a ten year old boy who, because his mother is dead and his father is an alcoholic, has been living on the streets for the past year according to The Irish Times today. Is this a symbol of our Celtic tiger economy? Young families are sleeping in bed and breakfast accommodation and are forced to roam the streets every day. Hostels for the homeless are full to capacity and even those who want to stay in a hostel are being turned down on a nightly basis because of overcrowding. Meanwhile, on a weekly basis, the number of people sleeping on the streets of Dublin is rocketing.
It is estimated that approximately 4,000 adults and almost 1,000 children are now homeless in the Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow regions. If this pattern is reflected nationwide, we can estimate that more than 10,000 people are without a roof over their heads in our land of plenty. This is an embarrassing and shameful statistic. The Minister for State has admitted that the rate of homelessness has doubled in the past three years. There is no doubt that this increase is a further manifestation of the half-hearted housing policy which this Government is presiding over, although I acknowledge that homelessness has wider roots than the housing issue.
Surely the Minister of State and his Government cannot stand over an economy which deprives so many people of the basic right of a roof over their heads? Can the Government stand over the advice a young woman who appeared on "Prime Time" last night said she was given? She said she was advised to have a baby so that she and her partner could qualify for a flat. As we approach Christmas and the celebrations to mark the new millennium, it is worth giving some consideration to what is being done to ensure that people without a home are given the supports and services they deserve.
The Government's sub-committee on the millennium has been the target of much criticism, but my single most significant criticism of it is that its plans are void of any significant projects to tackle our homelessness problem. Babies born on New Year's Day and their parents will be adorned with gifts from the Government; every household in the country will receive a special edition candle and millions of pounds will be spent on fireworks and festivities. At the same time as all this silliness pervades, there will be 10,000 homeless people on our streets, approximately 2,000 of whom will be children.
Who wants to celebrate the millennium when more than 10,000 of their fellow citizens are curled up in doorways and on street corners? We would all live without a candle if we could be assured that every homeless person was given a roof over his head at the turn of the millennium. The call by Focus Ireland to invest £195 million over the next five years to deal with growing homelessness is the correct one. We are now in a position to make this investment, but it appears that the political will is not there to allow it to happen. What is required is a national strategy on homelessness which would ensure that people are not let fall though the system. The disgrace of children, young adults in need of drug rehabilitation and older people sleeping on our streets cannot be allowed to continue. I appreciate that the Eastern Health Board last week launched its strategy on homelessness, but the scope of the problem goes beyond their plans. There is a need for more than just accommodation. Counselling services, rehabilitation services for addicts and alcoholics and guidance with a career path are all elements of a national strategy that could make a meaningful dent in our homeless population.
The most immediate requirement, particularly at this very cold time of the year, is to ensure that people are taken in off the streets. I appeal to the Government to take whatever steps are necessary, including the requisitioning of buildings, to ensure that as we enter the festive season, the turn of the millennium, and celebrate the life of a family who was homeless 2000 years ago, nobody has to sleep rough in the cold weather at this time of the year and that a roof and safe bed of some kind are provided for every citizen in the State over the coming season.
