2026-03-04

I have raised previously the fact that there are children in Cork who are homeless and who are being forced to travel across the city because they are in emergency accommodation. They cannot move schools because if they do so, they could have to move emergency accommodation again, or if the family ever finally do get a house, they do not know where it will be. They are being forced to travel long distances, sometimes getting two or three buses to get to school. This is not right. My understanding is that in Dublin there is a Leap card with €150 on it to get children to and from school. It is a support while they are in emergency accommodation. There were children who had a safe, stable home and who did not understand anything about emergency accommodation or its consequences, and then all of a sudden they have to pack up everything they own, take a few toys and probably dump a lot of their stuff because there is nowhere to put it or bring it. Can the Minister of State imagine the traumatising effect that has on children? They can no longer then have sleepovers or have their friends over. Does the Minister of State know why? It is because the whole family is living in one room. They do not live near their local GAA club, soccer club or dance club because they are probably across the city or somewhere else, so they are losing their friends. Added to that is the expense of trying to get to school. These parents are not able to cook, they are getting takeaways, they are spending money and there is no support there either. The children end up not going to school, so they lose their friends in school, they lose their friends in sport and they lose their friends in the community. How does that make a child feel? Can the Minister of State imagine a child's mind trying to understand that? It is so traumatising. I have asked repeatedly for those in emergency accommodation to be accommodated close to their schools and the communities they came from. Not having money should never be a reason for a child to miss school. We are not talking about a huge amount of money here. This happens not only in Dublin but also outside of Dublin. There are people taking much longer journeys in rural areas or areas outside of Dublin city. I know a teacher who has actually given money to parents to ensure that the kids can make it to school. There are unbelievable teachers and other people out there who understand the trauma and the effects of homelessness on children. It should not be up to them, however; it should be up to the Government. What I am asking for is not huge but it would make a huge difference to people in emergency accommodation. I will give the Minister of State an example. I have dealt with a family on the north side of Cork city who were put in emergency accommodation in Cobh, County Cork. A son of theirs was doing his leaving certificate last year. He used to have to get a train and a bus to get to school. That was the time and the distance he was travelling every day to sit his leaving certificate. How was that child able to manage to study for the leaving certificate in one room? There are consequences to that. It is hard enough doing all that and not having the money to get to school. It is just not good enough. This Government is offering no solutions to homelessness. That is why it needs to apply this fund for people, especially children.

Well said.

I thank Deputy Gould for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne. Supporting individuals and families facing homelessness is a key Government priority, and the increase in homelessness figures is a concern for the Government. Budget 2026 allocated €513 million in current funding to ensure that individuals and families experiencing homelessness are provided with emergency accommodation and other supports. The key objective is to support families to exit homelessness to a secure home. In Dublin, the Dublin Region Homeless Executive provides Leap cards to families to ensure access to free public transport for essential school journeys. Deputy Gould has referred to that. This scheme was introduced in Dublin due to the numbers of families in emergency accommodation and the difficulty in providing emergency accommodation to all families close to the area where the children were in school. The Department is committed to considering all measures necessary to support children and families in emergency accommodation nationwide. The Government's new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, includes a strong focus on measures to eradicate homelessness. A key measure in the plan is the development of a child and family homelessness action plan. The plan will set out new measures to provide enhanced supports for children and parents experiencing homelessness, as well as measures to accelerate exits and reduce the time spent by children and their families in homeless emergency accommodation. My Department is working closely with the Department of the Taoiseach as well as a range of key stakeholders on the development of this plan. A public consultation was launched in January and 60 submissions were received from a range of organisations involved in providing supports to children. An in-person event was then held at the end of last month with more than 100 individuals in attendance. These included representatives from a range of organisations, including Government Departments, State bodies, local authorities and NGOs, as well as adults and children with lived experience of homelessness. The feedback and recommendations received during the consultation process are being assessed. My Department and the Department of the Taoiseach will continue to engage with key stakeholders to agree a series of actions which will have a real impact in addressing child and family homelessness. The issue of transportation was one of the points raised during the consultation process and will be further considered in the preparation of the action plan. The Deputy has raised a specific issue in relation to Cork. It is anticipated the plan will be published by the end of June 2026, after which a steering group will be established to drive delivery of actions within the plan.

The Minister of State outlined what is happening. I sincerely hope he will take on board the submissions made during the consultation and the point I have made today because I have raised this previously. We will disagree on politics and fight and argue over the housing policy and how I believe a number of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael Governments have caused the housing emergency we are in. I hope they will take the opportunity to provide this small support because it will make such a difference to homeless families and especially children in emergency accommodation. On top of that, when you look at the number of people who are homeless or in emergency accommodation - the figures came out last week - it is heartbreaking that so many families are being traumatised this way. I have spoken to parents, both men and women, who have cried in my office because they think they have failed their children. They cried because they do not see a solution. This week alone, two people came in with notices to quit and three homeless people came into my clinic on Monday. Those two families had notices to quit. The previous week we had seven people with notices to quit or people coming in homeless. There has been a tsunami of homelessness because of the new Government rent increase Bill that came in on 1 March. These families coming into me with notices to quit are terrified of the effects it will have on their children. They are terrified of how they will get to school or get to play with their friends or local clubs. This Leap card will make a real difference to ordinary children. I know the Minister is assessing it. I sincerely hope he takes it on board.

I again thank the Deputy for raising this important issue, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne. I reiterate that resources and funding are not an obstacle to the urgent efforts required. More than €563 million has been allocated to homeless services in 2021. On the specific point raised in respect of the Leap card, the Government's new housing plan includes a strong focus on measures around homelessness and a key measure in the plan is a child and family homeless action plan. There was a public consultation in January and 60 submissions were received. That was followed by an in-person event last month at which 100 people were in attendance. The feedback and recommendations are currently being assessed. The Department and the Department of the Taoiseach will continue to engage with key stakeholders to agree a series of actions with real impact on addressing child and family homelessness. As the Deputy said, the issue of transportation was one of the points raised during the consultation and will be further considered in preparation of the action plan. I will bring back to the Minister and Department officials the specific points of Cork, the Leap card and families experiencing homelessness. Furthermore, of the funding being provided, €513 million is current spending for homeless services this year. There is €50 million in capital to support delivery of high-quality transitional and emergency accommodation for individuals experiencing homelessness. This will be kept under ongoing review throughout 2026. I will bring to the Minister's attention the specific point of Leap cards for families experiencing homelessness outside Dublin in the area Deputy Gould represents in Cork, apart from the consideration taking place.