Simon Community: Budget 2007 'a failed opportunity'
The Simon Community has tonight labelled Budget 2007 as a failed opportunity to end homelessness in Ireland.
Today's budget was a failed opportunity to meet the Government commitment of ending homelessness by 2010 according to the Simon Communities of Ireland. Despite the Government's own acknowledgement that prevention and long term housing solutions are key to ending homelessness there was no action on social housing in today's budget.
Patrick Burke director of the Simon Communities of Ireland said: "Today's Budget was bad news for the 40,000+ families on the social housing waiting list, the thousands of families relying on rent supplement, and the thousands of people living in hostels and emergency accommodation throughout the country.
"The €20 increase in the lowest social welfare rate is to be welcomed, but it is little comfort to those who will spend Christmas and the foreseeable future in a hostel because they cannot get housed."
According to Simon's own estimates there are at least 5,000 people currently homeless. The latest figures from Dublin show 1,361 families homeless.
Simon also expressed their disappointment at the €100m allocation for health-related disability and mental health services, to include the delivery of the new mental health strategy 'A Vision for Change'.
Mr Burke said: "Given the chronically low levels of mental health services for people who are homeless this allocation does not represent a serious attempt by Government to meet the needs of extremely vulnerable people."
