Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 8 Nov 2000

Vol. 525 No. 3

Adjournment Debate. - Cork City Youth Homelessness.

Mr. Coveney

Thank you, a Leas-Cheann Comhairle, for giving me the opportunity to raise this matter. I also thank the Ministers of State for being here to listen to what I have to say. It makes a big difference when the relevant Minister is in the Chamber, particularly when one of them is from Cork, the city I am speaking about.

Modern Ireland has much to be proud of. As a small country, with rapidly growing prosperity, we continue to attract foreign investment and recognition. Consecutive Governments, including this one, deserve recognition and praise for their economically smart policies and broad education programmes.

However, if one looks hard enough behind the glowing economic indicators that we all enjoy citing at times, one will see dark, murky hideaways in Irish society that have not seen even a glimmer of the light of this so-called prosperity. It is the State's responsibility to ensure that everyone's quality of life improves as the country grows in wealth.

One of the most damning examples of the State's neglect is in the area of homelessness, particularly youth homelessness. Yesterday, Focus Ireland gave a presentation to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Family, Community and Social Affairs informing us of a study it had completed recently into young people who had been in the care of the State. It showed that the link between homelessness and people who have lived in the care of the State is much stronger than anyone could have expected.

The research confirmed that one-third of young people living in the care of health boards and over half of those leaving schools for young offenders experienced homelessness or time in detention centres within the first six months of their release. By the time they have been out of care for two years the situation is worse. Two-thirds of them have experienced homelessness and a quarter of them have been in detention. This is a scandal and proof of the failure of successive Governments to adequately support the most vulnerable young people in society.

As I have limited time in which to speak I will concentrate primarily on the homeless issue in Cork city. There has been a 40% increase in the numbers sleeping rough in Cork city in the past 12 months. Some 80% of the homeless have medical problems yet only 30% have medical cards, despite the fact that many of them have no form of income. The age profile, perhaps the most worrying aspect of all, of the homeless people in Cork has changed dramatically and is constantly getting younger. There is a reducing number of volunteers willing to work to alleviate the problem.

In the past 12 months, the Simon Community, the largest supplier of emergency shelter in Cork, has had to turn away more than 65 young males under the age of 18. It is not allowed to take them in because they are under the age of 18. Those 65 young people must sleep in doorways or along the docks in Cork.

I recognise that solving the problem of homelessness is far more complex than merely providing more sheltered accommodation and hostels in city centres. There are nearly always tragic circumstances and reasons for people being without a home that are complex and require medium and long-term solutions. I recognise the work the Minister of State is trying to do in this area. However, when I see a voluntary organisation such as the Simon Community, which is making such a huge impact on reintegrating the homeless into society as well as providing emergency shelter, under threat of closure because of lack of funds to pay its staff, I cannot accept it, particularly when there is so much funding available to the Government. Due to the reduction in the numbers of volunteers staff must be employed by the Simon Community. As a result it had a deficit of £172,000. This year it is estimated the deficit will be £200,000. I want an assurance from the Minister that if and when we look for funding to keep the Simon Community afloat and ensure its work continues, this Government will not be found wanting.

Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Ms Hanafin)

I thank Deputy Coveney not just for raising the issue but for his reasoned and understanding contribution and the fact that he recognises that homelessness is a serious social issue. It is also a very complex one involving the inter-relationship between social and economic factors. Recognising this, the Government published a strategy in May this year aimed at tackling homelessness. This strategy, called Homelessness – an Integrated Strategy, aims to tackle all aspects of homelessness in an integrated manner. The strategy represents a cross-departmental approach to the problems of homelessness and clearly recognises that homelessness cannot be addressed solely in a housing context. The strategy emphasises the need for a comprehensive approach involving health and welfare and support to enable homeless persons to reintegrate into local communities and to prevent them becoming homeless in the first place.

The main elements of the strategy are as follows. A homeless forum will be set up in each county for the delivery of homeless services. It will be made up of representatives from the local authorities, the health board and the voluntary bodies operating in the county. Three year action plans will be drawn up in all local authorities and health boards to assist in the formulation of a coherent, comprehensive and effective response to homelessness. More accommodation of a suitable type and of greater variety is to be provided. Settlement and outreach programmes are to be set up to help homeless persons back into independent living. Capital spending over the next five years is to be doubled from £20 million to £40 million to provide suitable accommodation. Additional current funding of £6 million per annum will be available from the Department of the Environment and Local Government to fund voluntary services, increase payments for the provision of hostel accommodation and establish settlement and outreach services. Additional funding of £6 million will be available to the Department of Health and Children to fund the provision of in-house care in hostels providing accommodation to homeless people. Each health board is to carry out an assessment of the needs of adult homeless in its area.

An important aspect of the strategy is the clarification of the responsibilities of local authorities and health boards. The Department of the Environment and Local Government, through the local authorities, will fund the cost of settlement and outreach workers and will also fund the cost of additional accommodation. The Department of Health and Children, through the health boards, will fund the cost of providing care. It is also drafting a preventative strategy aimed at reducing the risk of homelessness among those leaving institutional care, mentioned by Deputy Coveney, who are identified as a high risk group for homelessness. Earlier this summer I sanctioned funding for the mid-western region to carry out a project and develop after care plans for children who are in its care to ensure they do not become homeless. I have asked the chief executive officers in all the health boards to ensure that children in care get the benefit of after care plans.

The Southern Health Board received additional funding of £75,000 this year to fund targeted services for adult homelessness. I am aware that the Simon Community has recently requested funding from the Southern Health Board for the provision of in-house care and staffing and the board is considering this request in the context of its three year action plan to tackle homelessness in the region.

The Simon Community in Cork also received capital funding of £1.164 million from the Department of the Environment and Local Government for a sheltered housing development in 1999 and receives funding of approximately £170,000 each year from the local authority.

As regards youth homelessness, health boards have a responsibility under the Child Care Act, 1991, in relation to homeless children. In general, when homeless children and young people come to the attention of a health board every effort is made to reunite them with their family or have them placed in foster care or residential care as appropriate. Social work support, advice, information, financial support and counselling and mediation for families and individuals is offered.

Since this Government came to office in 1997 an additional allocation of approximately £60 million in revenue on an annualised basis has been invested in the development of child care and family support services including youth homelessness services. Work on the national youth homeless strategy is progressing and I hope to publish the strategy by the end of the year.

With regard to the Southern Health Board specifically, since 1995 it has operated a homeless adolescent unit with a dedicated social work service providing direct social work support from two designated social workers for youth homelessness, access to a range of supported and independent accommodation options, financial supports for living allowances, food and meals, laundry, travel, rent or other accommodation costs and education or recreation fees, support in identifying, securing and maintaining young people in independent living opportunities and referral services to other para-medical, medical or support services.

Additional grants of £180,000 in 1999 and £125,000 have been made available by the Department of Health and Children to the Southern Health Board to further develop its youth homeless services. These include the appointment of a senior social worker to the homeless adolescent unit, the refurbishment and development of a hostel providing medium term care accommodation for homeless girls which is expected to be completed shortly and the creation of a social work post dealing with teenage pregnancy and sexual health promotion which will be attached to the homeless adolescent service. The board also plans to create two further social work posts, one community child care worker post and to increase the number of supported accommodation places available for homeless young people.

On the issue of a short-term hostel for adolescent boys, raised by Deputy Coveney, the Southern Health Board has informed the Department of Health and Children that discussions are at an advanced stage with a service provider to use an existing building for this purpose. Funding is in place for this unit and a successful candidate has been identified to manage the service and is expected to take up the post in the near future. I hope volunteers will continue to give generously of their time to match the work being done by the voluntary and statutory organisations.