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FR PETER MCVERRY has warned that rather than homelessness being eliminated by 2016, as is planned by the government, there could be more people on our streets than there are at present.
“There is no provision for the people who are becoming homeless and will become homeless,” McVerry stated.
Speaking at the launch of the Peter McVerry Trust Annual Report 2013, he said that the housing assistance scheme “would have been very welcome a few years ago” but doesn’t think it can “make a lot of difference” today as “the demand for renting far outstrips supply”.
There will be more people homeless in 2016 than there are today.
In 2013, the PMV Trust provided 75,000 meals (up from 57,000 in 2012), engaged with 3,586 people (up from 383 six years ago) and prevented 1,001 people from becoming homeless (up 17% from 2012).
McVerry said it’s “appalling” and “scandalous” in 2014 that people are sleeping rough in Ireland.
McVerry said that the government’s Housing Bill was not addressing the root of the problem, instead “massaging” the social housing list figures.
“What is specifically in the Bill is that people in private rented accommodation are deemed to be housed in social housing – that is massaging the figures. Now the minister [Jan O'Sullivan] denies that, the minister says they can go on the transfer list – that’s absurd.
“Who is going to transfer with them? Who is going to leave the security of social housing to move into the insecurity of private renting?
So effectively, yes, the next assessment of housing need is going to show a big drop in the number of households waiting for social housing, but the reality on the ground won’t have changed. The figures have been massaged.
McVerry went on to call the transfer plan “hopeless fantasy” and “pure fantasy land”.
Speaking at the launch, Social Protection Minister Joan Burton said that she hoped the government’s plan to end homelessness by 2016 would come to fruition.
She defended the Housing Bill, saying that the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) would allow people to “secure and maintain [their] tenancy”.
Burton said that at any given time there were 75,000 – 77,000 people in receipt of rent supplement, a payment that was only designed to be temporary. Some 30,000 of these people are living in the greater Dublin area.
She said that this can become “an employment trap” and “a poverty trap” as people would lose the payment if they started to work, something that wouldn’t happen via the HAP.
McVerry said that the solution to homelessness is simple: build houses.
In Ireland in 2014 it is appalling and scandalous that we cant give every person a bed for the night with a roof over their head.
McVerry said that there are about 100,000 people on the social housing list at present, meaning 5,000 units would have to be built every year for the next 20 years to deal with the issue. He noted that, at present prices, this would cost about €1 billion.
He admitted that due to the current economic difficulties, this was not feasible. He added that the €10 million or so being spent per week on rent supplements to landlords was “an awful waste of money”.
Burton said that Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan had made “a very, very strong case in government for an appropriate investment in housing”.
“We have some capacity as the economy improves for investment.”
She added that some of the 80,000 construction workers on the live reigester could be given employment through building new social housing.
Burton said that European leaders were currently discussing a new investment structure for Europe, adding that if it was implemented Ireland could draw from it to help address the housing crisis.
McVerry said that rent caps would also help alleviate some of the pressure, as will moving people into empty Local Authority units and buildings owned by Nama.
However, in terms of the latter, he noted: “The difficulty and the fault with that plan is that it’s a once-off. Once those unit are taken back, as the ad says: ‘Once they’re gone, they’re definitely gone’.”
Burton said “it upsets me deeply at a personal level to pass a house that is boarded up”, when so many people need accommodation.
Another issue McVerry thinks has to be addressed is that of the poor quality of emergency accommodation.
He noted: “The quality of [many] emergency beds are appalling.”
McVerry said he had met a young homeless man this morning who had chosen to sleep rough, rather than move into unsuitable emergency accommodation that was housing drug users.
He told McVerry: “If I go into one of those emergency beds, I’ll be back on drugs in no time. What do they want me to do?”
The homeless activist said that people who sleep in emergency accommodation with active drug users often wake up to find their possessions have been stolen.
Over 60% of the people who engaged with the Trust last year were young, single men.
McVerry said that young people are seen by the Trust as the “critical age group” it must reach.
“If you’re 18 or 19 and you become homeless, unless you can move them out of homelessness very quickly then their situation becomes every entrenched.
The first thing that goes is self-esteem: they lose any sense of their own value, their own dignity, and that can be very difficult to restore once it’s lost. So the priority for us is young people who become homeless: let’s move them out of homelessness as quickly as possible.
McVerry stated that he was appalled by the fact homelessness is still such a huge issue, 31 years after he founded the Trust.
“It appals me because we had 12 years of growth during the Celtic Tiger years – when we had more money than we knew what to do with … During those years the number of homeless people in Ireland doubled. It went from 2,500 in 1999 to 5000 in 2008 … That is an absolute disgrace”
He noted that an increasing number of families were becoming homeless, something he described as “a very difficult problem to solve”.
“You can’t leave families on the street. You can’t put them into a hostel that are full of drug users.”
Pat Doyle, CEO of the Trust, said that there were also a number of ‘good news’ stories the group had to share. He spoke of a young man who has just completed his Applied Leaving Certificate and will soon “be getting the key to his door … hopefully ready for the employment market”.
“Those are the kind of stories we want to hear,” Doyle addded.
McVerry, who was made a Free Man of Dublin last year, said that any award he received was not for him, but for the homeless.
“I have gained so much from homeless people … They have taught me so much about myself and about Ireland and Irish society. I want to thank them,” he commented.
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All talk & no meaningful action
@Martin Sinnott: At least the minister was able to see the Law Society’s advice was completely biased and ignore it. Higher payouts mean higher legal fees. Despite loads of evidence that payouts are way above the European norm in Ireland, the Law Soceity suggests the problem is due to the insurance companies despite having zero evidence to base that on
@Dow Dubrov: One reason we have higher awards than in the UK is because Irish courts have to compensate for the cost of medical treatment – frequently a lifelong consequence of an injury – because the HSE is entitled to recover it from the award – even in the case of medical card holders. In the UK, which has free healthcare, no provision for medical treatment need be made.
Secondly, Courts Service statistics show the number of personal injuries claims is static and the quantum of claims has fallen by 20% at a time when increased economic activity has seen a huge increase in premium income for insurers.
Yet premia keep getting ramped up.
@Peter O’Muiri: never looked at it that way Peter, food for thought tumbs up .
@Dow Dubrov :You hit the nail fairly and squarely on the head!! That’s the problem with most aspects of life and business in Ireland ——-The solicitors, barristers senior councils, junior councils and judges all have to get their tonne of flesh.
@Martin Sinnott: exactly. Was gonna say more bluster
Simply not good enough. He’s there to do a job. He’s telling us he can’t do anything about it, and then he expects to keep his job!
Hey Journal. Where’s the article on ministers assistants being overpaid that you put up at 12:10 last nite but has now disappeared??? Hiding it at 12:10am was sus enough but now tis gone altogether???
@GrahamMManning: apologies. Back and with original comments. Xoxo
As usual people in ireland are focusing on the wrong issue and blaming the big, bad insurers. The reality is that there is a huge claim culture here, aided and abetted by the legal profession. Insurance companies exist to make a profit and if they can’t do that easily they’ll leave the country. Problem is that the government are terrified of upsetting the legal profession.
@The Guru: The reality is the insurance companies are grossly exaggerating the amount of fraudulent claims, and the effect of larger claims. The average premium has increased so much that the costs of these claims has been way more than covered.
The problem is the insurance companies are making huge profits and lying about the cause of their premium increases
@Dave Harris: why are they leaving the country if the profits are so good? Why isn’t there a queue of international insurers trying to enter the market?
@The Guru: sure wasn’t there a 1500% profit last year?
@The Guru: One reason we have higher awards than in the UK is because Irish courts have to compensate for the cost of medical treatment – frequently a lifelong consequence of an injury – because the HSE is entitled to recover it from the award – even in the case of medical card holders. In the UK, which has free healthcare, no provision for medical treatment need be made.
Secondly, Courts Service statistics show the number of personal injuries claims is static and the quantum of claims has fallen by 20% at a time when increased economic activity has seen a huge increase in premium income for insurers.
Yet premia keep getting ramped up.
@Trevor Connolly: I mean increase of 1500% on prev yr
The government could make a start by removing the government levy on insurance premiums.
Google “cartel” that’s what’s happening here. The government and the legal profession are complicant
Who is in charge? The toothless government or insurers? Tax the bastrds profits 50% over a certain figure. Cannot believe how much mothering costs in Ireland, must be the dearest in Europe. My 2litTD 3rd Party €184 a year, road tax because it’s an old vehicle is €42 as opposed to €701 in Ireland. We left 5 years ago, luckily I don’t have close family alive there anymore. We couldn’t afford to live there, it wasn’t a life, more an existence . Couldn’t ever see myself returning again.
@Gus Sheridan: ….damned predictive text…. motoring costs….
@Gus Sheridan: smart move tax the competition out of the market that will really help premiums come down.
@Gus Sheridan: yea tax them more so they pass it onto the customer, great plan……
Huge profits by the insurance companies, time to introduce Australian style 3rd insurance with car registration.
Let the companies bid for it.
@paul kelly: If the insurance companies want to benefit from the fact that having a car insured is a legal requirement then the government should have more sway over the costs of car insurance. I would agree that the Australian style 3rd party insurance system is the way to go – but thatcheritte conservative Fine Gael cannot wrap their tiny greedy brains around it
Keep the recovery going…………..for a tiny minority.
Even if the claims are high, there can be no way that this is the full reason why premiums are so high. It comes down to one thing. These companies are little better than thieves. When the levies were imposed all companies were to put about 5% on to premiums. Most went up by over 20. They all did this to ensure that no competition of note arose. If the government wanted to do something about this then why not attempt to make it legal for cars to be insured by companies operating in other EU jurisdictions. Let the companies here fail.
@The Oracle: because EU law stops it. Cars must be insured in the country they are registered
@John Horan: you’re wrong and right. You can insure with any company registered to trade in Ireland. If without an office in Ireland, as long as they are registered it’s still legal. The blueshirts could solve the problem by registering more companies. Look I know that they won’t. Ask yourself why they won’t. It’s nothing to do with law. Insurance companies simply have too much influence.
Same as with the Irish banks interest rates….Government can’t do anything. Same old rip off Ireland.
Judges and solitors that were the problem lies ,non consistent high awards based on a percentage fees especially on spurious claims
@Gerard Heery: Awards have decreased by 10% over the last 5 years.
The problem lies with the protected profiteering.
@paul kelly: incorrect, your figures are based on court settlements not on the out of court settlements done in the coffee shops around the 4 courts. Insurance companies are forced down this route as they know the judges will award higher.
My insurance went up by about 6% this year. No claims. And before anyone asks I did shop around!
We have international insurance companies down here in Australia including Allianz
but Aussie Comprehensive Car Insurance premiums are 4.7 times cheaper in Aus.
For example my car insurance in Aus is $400 AUD (E255) but E1200 in Ireland.
The Government has simply to regulate & cap compensation claims and jail the fraudsters.
In Aus personal injury cover is part of the car rego and put up to tender annually by the respective State Governments. My car rego in Aus (incl personal injury) is $600 AUD/year (E380) while in Ireland my car rego costs me E385 excluding personal injury cover.
If Ireland cant regulate the Insurers, then why not copy the Aussie system.
PSSSSST!: Competition can’t regulate the market when there is price collusion!
Some stories ahead of election showing FFG care..
Same old crap..
https://www.thejournal.ie/insurance-eu-investigation-ireland-4635198-May2019/
Perhaps if the insurance companies were found to have acted illegally the government could force them to pay compensation?
Let Margret Vestager examine the insurance companies, and then we will discover the TRUTH.
They can name their price since it is a leagal requirement to have insurance..should be a basic level included in road tax as in other countries..and are they insuring the car or the driver? If the driver than the same driver will drive different cars with the same diligence and if the car than the car will be drivin the same by different drivers
have your say