DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL has reversed plans to cut over €5 million from homeless services.
Days after the Lord Mayor Oisín Quinn told TheJournal.ie that no budget would be passed containing a cut, the council passed a budget that actually increased supports for homeless people.
Having been faced with a cut of €5.8 million, these services will now be boosted by around €400,000.
The budget also contained a cut in business rates, the fifth in a row.
The news was immediately welcomed by the Peter McVerry Trust, which provides support for homeless people in the capital.
“The news that Dublin City Council has voted to protect, and indeed marginally increase, the annual budget for frontline homeless services is good news especially for the increasing number of people accessing those services.
“We also welcome the announcement from the City Manager that the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government will also provide a capital grant of €5 million to help renovate voids in the city. These properties can play a small but crucial role in helping to alleviate the current shortages of housing for those on waiting lists and in homeless services.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say