Sinn Féin spokesperson on Housing, Eoin Ó Broin TD, has said that contrary to what the Minister for Housing has stated, the reality is that people are in fact being turned away from homeless services.

Teachta Ó Broin said:

“Unfortunately, people are being turned away from homeless services across the city.

“According to reporting in the Dublin InQuirer last week, men sleeping rough in the city are being turned away from homeless services as they are not deemed to have a local connection to Dublin.

“We have all heard anecdotally that people who try to access homeless services who are not from Dublin are being shut out of the system.

“The Dublin Region Homeless Executive has responded to queries I have raised on the matter stating that:

‘All new presentations to homeless services in Dublin must complete a comprehensive assessment with the relevant local authority to determine their need for emergency accommodation. Factors considered in the assessment process include but are not limited to; accommodation history, reason for homelessness, qualification for social housing, support needs, presenting need and any other relevant information that will inform the assessment. We do not offer accommodation to households coming into the country and looking to be accommodated on arrival.’ 

“Despite the genuine best efforts of people involved in trying to support people accessing homeless services, people are slipping through the cracks.

“Failing to acknowledge this will just make the problem worse. There is a reason why people who need to access homeless services travel to Dublin City, and that is usually because there is an inadequate provision of beds and services across the rest of the county and the State.

“This is an issue that the Minister must look at and he must also listen to those working hard on the ground when they say there is a problem with accessing services.”