'The issue is political apathy.' Modular homes could reduce homelessness, according to Fr Peter McVerry
We will see a “flood of heartbreaking stories of people made homeless” in the next few months without effective plans, Father Peter McVerry has warned.accessing emergency accommodation in March - an increase of 246 on the previous month.
Meanwhile the first quarter of the year saw a 15% increase in the number of adults and their dependents who exited or were prevented from entering emergency accommodation.Some 871 rough sleepers or long-term users of emergency accommodation were also housed.He said this is the sixth year homeless figures have increased every month “with minor exceptions”."We're finding it more and more difficult to get homeless people into hostels and families into hubs,” he said.
“In Ireland it’s taking 12 months,” Fr McVerry said. “If it's bureaucracy problems or a planning problem, we need to address that problemHe said the Government have enough time and money to build “100,000 houses” if they remove the current obstacles.The increase in homelessness took place while the Winter Eviction Ban was still in effect.Fr McVerry said current homelessness levels would be much higher if the ban was never in place – and it will lead to an “explosion of homelessness” soon.
"Over the next six months the end of the eviction ban will affect the increase in homelessness – it's not going to happen immediately,” he said."There should be absolutely no homelessness in towns around Ireland because there are far more empty buildings in those towns than there are homeless people,” he said.We need to get those empty buildings back into use, and money is no object. The issue is political apathy.
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