Hi all Update from my own submissions to todays Municpal District Meeting. 17.12.14. Councillor Pender That the council call on the Government to ensure funding is made available to Teach Tearmainn women’s refuge in Kildare Town to meet the urgent need of women and children who suffer domestic violence and to protect those who may otherwise face homelessness. Report: With effect from the 1st January 2015, funding of domestic violence services will be transferred from the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. Tusla will have overall responsibility for funding the provision of accommodation and related services for victims of domestic violence and the funding arrangements for domestic violence services are a matter between such services and Tusla. Victims of domestic violence are accommodated as far as possible in domestic violence refuges because of their specific needs in seeking respite from violence and abuse and the transfer of funding does not disadvantage victims of domestic violence. I proposed that the Council send representations calling on the appropriate department to ensure proper funding is made available to open the two further units - This was supported by members. Councillor Pender Have any potential opportunities been identified for short term provision of emergency homeless accommodation in any of the publicly owned land or properties in Kildare?Have the council considered the potential for the vacant houses lying idle in the Curragh to be used to ensure that there is sufficient emergency accommodation available? Report: “The Council continue to assess each presentation we receive for access to homeless services on a case by case basis and where individuals cannot utilise their friends and family support network, we utilise our commercially available family units, the emergency beds available in Mount Offaly House and the homeless beds in Cuain Mhuire where necessary. In addition we are working with the St. Vincent de Paul to get Michael Garry House operational before Christmas. Given the Department of Defence’s current position with regard to existing accommodation within the Curragh Camp it is not our intention to approach them. We are continuing to look at a number of options to procure additional stock and are also working with homeless service providers who will provide additional support.” I argued that in the homeless implementation plan released in May 2014 it clearly stated in section 5.3.13 that the homeless oversight group recommended to govt that it look into using state properties to provide homeless accommodation including military properties so in my view it beggars belief that Council seem to accept the line that the Dept of Defence are not a housing authority and they just get off the hook in this regard. There are empty properties that could have the potential to deliver suitable short term emergency accommodation rather than putting families into hotel rooms, yet DOD wish to exacerbate the situation not only by making those empty properties unavailable but by adding to the problem by continuing to pursue vacant repossession of existing tenants. I thought they were supposed to be serious about addressing the current homelessness crisis.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Dec 2014 21:36:22 +0000
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