Focus Ireland Warns Government More Social Welfar Cuts In Next Week's Budget Will Increase Homeless

national | miscellaneous | press release

Wednesday November 26, 2003 11:52

by Roughan Mac Namara - Focus Ireland

rmcnamara at focusireland dot ie

· Charity calls for the Government to “stop paying lip service to the most marginalized in society” and take action to cut the growing gap between rich and poor

Focus Ireland warned the Government today that more hard hitting cuts in next week’s Budget will force thousands more people into homelessness and further widen the gap between rich and poor nationwide. Declan Jones Focus Ireland Chief Executive said: “ The Government must take immediate action to reverse the cuts of up to €60 million in the social welfare budget recently revealed in the Book of Estimates and act to protect people on social welfare and low incomes or more people than ever before will be forced into homeless. The recent cuts in the rent allowance system in particular have already made it even harder than ever before for the most vulnerable in our society to keep a roof over their heads..”

In its Pre-Budget Submission published today Focus Ireland is calling for the Government to borrow €1 billion to pay for extra investment in social housing to help start to provide more permanent housing for nearly 6,000 people who are homeless and the record total of approximately 140,000 people on the housing waiting lists. The charity stressed there must also be urgent action taken to boost social housing output under Section V of the Planning and Development Act in conjunction with moves to allow the direct transfer of more publicly owned land to voluntary social housing developers. Mr. Jones said: “The bottom line is there needs to be more housing provided for those most in need and these proposals will help that start to happen.”

He added: “The Government must remember that 85% of people on the housing waiting lists are struggling to survive on an income of €15,000 or less a year. These people can’t afford to buy a home of their own. They can’t avail of the sort of tax cuts we’ve seen in previous Budgets making it possible for investors to buy second houses.” Focus Ireland claims the Government has been paying lip service to the most marginalized in Irish society for long enough and needs to take action in the Budget to start addressing the growing gap between rich and poor. Its Pre Budget Submission also demanded an increase in funding for homeless services in 2004 to help ensure no families with children have to stay in Bed & Breakfast accommodation for more than a month before moving on to more suitable housing. This increase in funding could also be directed towards ensuring more housing and support services are available for children and young people leaving care and other institutions.

Mr. Jones said: “Every one of this Government’s Budgets since 1997 has seen the better off in society get more done for them than those who are less well off. It’s now time to reverse that trend.” Last year social welfare payments were only increased by only €6 per week which barely covered inflation. The Government must act in the Budget to – at the very least - increase all personal rates by a minimum of €10 per week to bring the lowest welfare payment to €134.80 and the pension rate to €167.30. Focus Ireland warned that in the final year of the Government’s strategy to tackle homelessness the numbers of people homeless is rising instead of falling and unless this Budget takes actions to protect the poor the trend will continue and the problem will get even worse. (Latest Govt. figures show an increase from 5,234 in 1999 to 5,581 in 2002)

Editors note: Focus Ireland Pre Budget Submission has already been issued to the Minister for Finance along with all other members of the Oireachtas.

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Comments (3 of 3)

FF/PD Don't care

by jeff

Wed Nov 26, 2003 12:17

Thatcherism encourages "cutbacks" it is the core philosophy.

"Harsh decisions had to be made", one young Tory told me. However, it never "really affected me, so I don't care!"

Just remember folks, nothing lasts forver. There is an unspoken justice, real karma, not the ninties new age throwabout word, but that old saying "The worm always turns." I genuinly believe that people have so much hate for Murky Hernia, McSleazy, and Burping Aherm that those three maggots will actually die of cancer! Of course, they have the chance still to make good, and quit abusing the poor. Drop this nonsense philosophy, FF/PD,deep down you all know it's wrong. Keep with it and you will never escape the vacuum of hatred that will be directed AT YOU ALL.

Ask Uri Geller! It's true.

In the meantime, keep up the good fight, hold your patience and your resolve. Even the most bigotted fascistic cops will soon see sense. None of us shall resort to violence, Shervednazse got fecked out, right is on all decent people's side.

I

Jeff, that's a load of hogwash

by Barney

Thu Nov 27, 2003 07:04

People are infinitely better off inthis country than they were when Bertie first became Taoiseach.

He's the greatest Taoiseach Ireland has ever had, we're very lucky to have him. Mary Harney is also doing a splendid job.

Spending money on the longterm homeless is monry down the drain, tax revenue should not be spent on this, private charities would do a much better job.

SWA reform

by Laura

Sun Feb 08, 2004 00:44

lfarrell at esatclear dot ie

The problem is a bit deeper than just rent supplement. It is not even an "entitlement", its a "discretionary" benefit, which means that it is given at the "discretion" of the health board. This has led to policies like the one above.

I understand the concern about rent allowance. As a tenant in private rented accomodation I have seen massive abuse of rent supplement by antisocial scumbags who are claiming everything they can, with no intention of ever working, or working in the black economy. However, I have also come across some very genuine and needy cases who have REALLY needed this supplement.

The problem is that of entitlement and the way in which its administered. Remember that SWA comes from the health budget. They are not in the business of building homes, so they have no interest in solving the problem. Also many landlords just hike rents up to the maximum SWA level to get more money. (I reckon the Cap on rent allowance is one of the reasons for rents starting to fall). The system needs root and branch reform.

1. Housing Benefit should become a statutory entitlement, and should be granted on the basis of assessed need. There should be no room for discretion where housing is concerned - you should be entitled to it by virtue of your circumstances.

2. If its to be fairly assessed and administered, then it should be handled by local authorities in conjunction with housing provision, so that they can base housing needs directly on the information they have. This would end the huge waste of money on housing benefit that could be spent on building new homes for people on social welfare, and eventually for below average wage earners.

3. The need for housing needs to be carefully assessed - housing benefit should be based on carefully assessed need. I've seen lots of people getting rent allowance who should have been living in the family home (for example a young woman who used SWA to move out of the family home, never workerd, never went to college and ended up drifting - whilst her working friends of the same age couldn't afford to move out!) This abuse would be prevented if housing need was assessed as part of the process. This has meant that a huge amount of taxpayers money that could have been spent on the health service has been wasted on weasels who have alternatives. The result is that the entire system is now in disarray.

4. Lastly, we cannot expect the private rented sector to become a form of social housing. The sector in Ireland is very unregulated and landlords are pretty much left alone. I've seen people living in horrific conditions. I myself have spent the last 18 months demanding hot running water from my landlord, and I am a working person paying rent of €140 a week! The sector needs more careful regulation in order to encourage stability, which is not there now.

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Focus Ireland Warns Government More Social Welfar Cuts In Next Week's Budget Will Increase Homeless

Comments (3 of 3)