Housing alone won't end problem of long-term homelessness but it is a big part of the solution

The Simon Communities deal with them all. We work with over 5,000 people a year, including those who are homeless or at risk of it. We have seen an increase of over 24pc in the numbers of people turning to us for help, and it's getting worse. Housing alone will not end long-term homelessness; it is a big part of the solution but not the only part. It's an approach the Government says it will implement to achieve its goals to end long-term homelessness and rough sleeping by 2016. A housing-led approach makes appropriate housing available to people as quickly as possible once they become homeless. Housing needs to be coupled with supports tailored to each person's needs to address the issues that often cause or accompany homelessness, including low income, debt burden, poor health and well-being, loneliness and isolation, problematic drug and/or alcohol use and long-term unemployment. These tailored supports are critical in helping people to maintain their tenancies. Simon Communities all around the country are already developing and implementing such approaches. In the past, it was common to tackle homelessness using the "staircase model", whereby people had to achieve a number of goals (eg becoming drug/alcohol free) over a period of time to become "housing ready" before being housed. This approach is lengthy, can contribute to long-term homelessness and tie-up much needed emergency accommodation. Housing-led services aim to move people out of homelessness as quickly as possible and into permanent housing, where tailored support services can be much more effective. The Government's commitment to a housing-led approach is failing because of the chronic shortage of housing. This crisis is affecting people across every section of society - single people, young people, older people, families, people with severe health problems, people battling drug and alcohol issues and people this State has failed from a young age. This housing shortage is impeding progress on a housing-led approach and the Government will fail to meet its 2016 target. We urgently need housing - the right type of housing, of sufficient quality, located close to services and transport routes. Accessing affordable housing is proving almost impossible for the people Simon supports. There are 90,000 people stuck on the social housing waiting list. The private rented housing sector cannot fill the void because of rapidly increasing rents and the ridiculously low caps on Rent Supplement. Research published by the Simon Communities this year, 'Which Way Home', recommends that the Government reappraise the upfront investment required to generate the flow of housing and the necessary supports so that people who have been homeless can access sustainable housing. This is critical in the context of Budget 2015 and across the main government departments with responsibility for homelessness. The research recommends that housing construction recommences urgently on a realistic scale, the delivery of the promised NAMA units for social housing and ring fencing of housing units for people moving out of homelessness. If the Government is serious about achieving its 2016 goal, then it must urgently address the barriers preventing people from accessing private rented housing. With winter approaching and more and more people becoming homeless, the Department of Environment's homeless budget for 2015 has to increase to meet that growing need. People who are homeless have the most urgent housing need and must be prioritised. They have nowhere else to turn. People who are homeless cannot wait any longer. Niamh Randall is National Spokesperson for the Simon Communities of Ireland. Simon Week 2014 is taking place until October 5.

Housing alone won't end problem of long-term homelessness but it is a big part of the solution

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