The Environment Minister says enough accommodation will be provided by Christmas so no homeless people will have to sleep rough.
Alan Kelly says the Government will ensure that there is going to be emergency beds for any homeless person who wants to avail of them.
“In the city of Dublin, by Christmas, there should no reason for anybody to sleep rough. If they want a bed, if they want accommodation it will be there for them if they so choose, that’s the ambition,” he said this evening, following the conclusion of the Forum in Homelessness.
A summit on the crisis was been held in the Department of the Environment in Dublin today, following the death of Jonathan Corrie.
“Christmas is coming and we aim to ensure that anybody who is sleepi9ng rough will have the accommodation there available to them,” Mr Kelly said.
Mr Kelly said “whatever we do in Dublin will be rolled out across the country.”
Those words were echoed by the Housing Minister, Mr Paudie Coffey, who said: “After today’s forum and today’s meetings, we can do all in our power to get homeless people, the rough sleepers that we talk about, they’re our first priority, off the streets even by Christmas,” he said.
Immediate action required
Minister Kelly says there was a very good engagement between the organisations involved in the Forum on Homelessness.
Voluntary groups working with homeless people and local authorities are attending the meetings. Dublin Lord Mayor Christie Burke said immediate action is required and shared the optimism of Mr Coffey for a pre-Christmas timeframe for offering accommodation to people currently sleeping rough.
“I believe that you could take the rough sleepers off the street in the next seven to 10 days,” Mr Burke said.
He believes properties owned by NAMA should be utilised to house people currently sleeping rough.
“NAMA have properties; they have hotels, open them up. Put a few quid into just putting them together with beds and shelter, hot and cold water,” he said.
The Archbishop of Dublin Dr Diarmuid Martin has been in attendance and said he found the forum very useful.
“It has been very interesting ... sitting down around a table, looking at the facts, looking at the numbers,” Mr Martin said.
“We haven’t got all the answers but it was very honest and I think the minister is showing very clearly that he wants something done. I think it was very useful,” he added.
Meanwhile, homeless charity Depaul Ireland will launch its latest plan today to get people off the streets.
The 'What if' strategy aims to help the 25-hundred people who access emergency accommodation each night.
Later, the Lord Mayor of Dublin Christy Burke will chair another meeting on homelessness at the Mansion House this afternoon.
Christy Burke, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, spoke to reporters ahead of his forum today and stated that the Taoiseach was out on the streets with him until 2.30am:
