7th January 2025
The Irish Homeless Policy Group, made up of organisations working at the frontline of the housing and homelessness crisis, have come together to outline 10 key actions on homelessness they are calling on the next government to include in the Programme for Government the parties are currently negotiating.
The organisations held a special event at Buswells Hotel (Tuesday, January 7th 2025) as the latest figures just issued last Friday show a record total of 15,199 people who are now homeless.
Last year the group wrote to the political parties involved in Government-formation talks, expressing deep concern at the absence of concrete proposals to tackle homelessness in their party manifestos, which reflecting neither the successes nor lessons from the work of the outgoing Government. The key housing and homeless policies included in the new Programme for Government will have huge implications on preventing and reducing homelessness and creating exit pathways for individuals and families over the coming years. Given the huge number of people whose lives are harmed by forms of homelessness, the enormous cost of emergency measures and the prominence of the issue in the minds of voters, it is essential that the Programme includes credible policies and tangible goals.
Speaking at the event Focus Ireland Director of Advocacy Mike Allen said: “Homelessness has risen by 47% since the previous General Election in 2020 and while all political parties constantly refer to homelessness as a ‘priority’, they seem to be bringing few concrete and evidence-based ideas to the table.”
He continued: “Solving homelessness is a complex issue requiring persistent Government attentiveness and will require shared problem solving to work towards the EU goal of ending homelessness by 2030 which Ireland has committed to achieving. We believe that homelessness is solvable and that a collaborative approach which brings together organisations on the frontline along with local authorities and state agencies, with strong Cabinet support, is the best approach to solving it.”
Signatories:
COPE Galway, Crosscare, Depaul Ireland, Focus Ireland, Irish Refugee Council, Mercy Law Recourse Centre, Novas, Pavee Point Traveller and Roma Centre, Respond, Simon Communities of Ireland and Threshold.
About The Irish Homeless Policy Group
The Irish Homeless Policy Group is made up of several organisations which work in the sphere of housing and homelessness. Our constituent members include organisations providing direct housing supports, policy work, advocacy, and legal interventions for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Our organisations work to end homelessness every day and have come together to set out several proposals which we believe the next Government should take if it is serious about ending homelessness.
ENDS
For further information contact
Aileen Gaskin 087 7724 717 / communications@simoncommunity.com
