MakeRoom Welcomes Homeless Amendments to Housing Bill

June 15, 2009

MakeRoom, the campaign alliance of Focus Ireland, the Simon Communities of Ireland, the Society of St Vincent de Paul and Threshold, has today welcomed amendments relating to homelessness contained in a new chapter of the Housing Bill 2008, published by Minister for State with responsibility for Housing and Local Services Michael Finneran TD.

This new chapter places a statutory requirement on local authorities to establish Homeless Consultative Fora in their administrative area and to develop Local Homeless Action Plans.

Speaking after meeting with the Minister Finneran on this matter, Patrick Burke, CEO of the Simon Communities of Ireland, said:

"On behalf of MakeRoom I want to welcome the content of this new chapter of amendments published today by Minister Finneran's office. These are important amendments to an important piece of legislation. We will be urging all TDs to support these amendments and ensure that the Housing Bill 2008, with these amendments, is passed by the Houses of the Oireachtas before the summer break.

"MakeRoom has had ongoing and positive dialogue with Minister Finneran and his departmental officials on this issue and we are pleased that the amendments published today are reflective of that dialogue.

"The purpose of the amendments is to underpin the Government's new Homeless Strategy, The Way Home - and the commitments its contains to end the need to sleep rough and long term homelessness by 2010, with a statutory requirement for all local authorities to establish homeless fora and to produce local homeless action plans.

"The amendments also detail the importance of multi-agency and sector partnership within these fora, providing for input from statutory and voluntary agencies.

"MakeRoom firmly believes that through a real partnership, the statutory and voluntary sectors can achieve our shared goals of ending rough sleeping and long term homelessness by 2010. These amendments when passed into law will provide local authorities with a powerful tool in realising this vision, and MakeRoom member organisations look forward to working with the local authorities in making that happen."