Today I took the opportunity to ask for a debate on the governments approach to tackling homelessness in Dublin. A recent Sunday Times article reported on the number of charities supporting the provision of food services numbering around 27 which even led to arguments among the organisations over prime locations. It is the remit of Dublin Regional Homeless Executive to coordinate the efforts of the four Dublin councils in combatting homelessness. The DRHE spent close to 159m in 2020 and the government spent close to 1 billion on homeless services between 2013 and 2020 and throwing money at the problem doesn't seem to resolve the issue. One of the largest charities took in over 56 million last year with 30 million coming from the government. The state has a duty to ensure that such money has been spent in rehousing homeless persons in a sustainable manner rather than enabling individuals to remain on the street. Is there something to be said for the centralisation of homeless services either in the DRHE or in another statutory body established with the goal of eliminating homelessness.It's time for the government to go back to the drawing board and review how they are tackling the issue of homelessness in this country.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIpYfy40sOI&t=5s
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