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A changing promise: The Government said it would get families in hotels out of homelessness, but now it's putting them into hubs

A July deadline for getting families out of commercial hotels will not be met.

ELEVEN MONTHS AGO the new Fine Gael minority government launched its action plan to address housing and homelessness in Ireland.

Rebuilding Ireland was a 113-page document aimed at addressing the spiralling housing crisis. The new government had committed to delivering it within its first 100 days in office.

On 19 July, then-Housing Minister Simon Coveney launched the action plan to much fanfare. It contained provisions for kickstarting building, increasing social housing and improving the rental sector.

One aspect of the plan that caused a lot of commentary at the time was the commitment to end the use of commercial hotels and Bed & Breakfasts to house homeless families by the middle of 2017.

As the number of homeless families increased dramatically from the beginning of this decade, the State found it was ill-equipped to house them.

Commercial hotels and Bed & Breakfasts began to be used more and more frequently as emergency accommodation.

Originally meant as a short-term solution, families – often with very young children – ended up staying in them for longer and longer periods of time as the problem worsened.

In June 2016, there were 682 families with 1,372 children staying in commercial hotels in Dublin alone (where the situation is by far at its worst).

img_20160722_133544795_hdr Activists and residents of a hotel used to house homeless families protesting outside last year. Cormac Fitzgerald / TheJournal.ie Cormac Fitzgerald / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

Hotels are highly unsuitable. Families would often be crowded into single rooms with no cooking or cleaning facilities onsite. Mould, damp and bed bugs were common complaints in some places.

So, Rebuilding Ireland’s commitment to end the use of hotels was welcomed, but serious doubts were expressed that the target could be met. Coveney reiterated the commitment several times during his time as Housing Minister.

In March (among other times) he told TheJournal.ie that the target would be met by July, and as the month came closer, Coveney refused to budge.

Earlier this month, Coveney left the Housing Department to be replaced by new minister Eoghan Murphy. Murphy finally told reporters on Thursday in a roundabout way that the July target would not be met.

Focus Ireland Annual Report Launch 4 Ashley Balbirnie, Chief Executive Focus Ireland (left) and Minister for Housing, Eoghan Murphy TD. Robbie Reynolds Robbie Reynolds

It confirmed something that most people involved with housing and homelessness had known for months.

The commitment 

The actual commitment around hotels and families set out in Rebuilding Ireland is this:

Ensure that by mid-2017 hotels are only used in limited circumstances for emergency accommodation for families, by meeting housing needs through the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and general housing allocations, and by providing new supply to be delivered through:
- An expanded Rapid Build Housing Programme [1,500 units]
-A Housing Agency initiative to acquire vacant houses [1,600 units]

Once the plan was launched, serious doubts were raised whether this goal could possibly be met.

At the time, TheJournal.ie analysed the commitment and spoke to Focus Ireland’s advocacy manager Mike Allen. Allen expressed serious doubts that the target could be reached.

download (2) Mike Allen in 2014.

“It’s very hard to see all those bits adding up in time,” he said.

Let’s hope they do. But when you look at the figures they’re pointing in the right direction to tell you that that can’t actually be achieved.

Allen’s views were echoed by others working within homelessness and housing services.

Rapid-build houses were seen as unreliable, and experts were unconvinced that they could be delivered on time.

There was also a belief that the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) – which is paid to landlords by local councils on behalf of tenants – would not be as effective as the government was hoping without an increase in housing supply.

On both these counts, critics of the commitment were right: the modular housing units due to be delivered by now have been delayed; and there are a number of issues being raised with HAP.

But as the months passed and 2017 began, the commitment to end hotel use changed its direction, and the term “family hubs” started to be used.

Family hubs 

Back in July last year, there was a sense that what was meant by using hotels “only in limited circumstances” was that the vast bulk of homeless families would be permanently housed.

This was the impression given by the plan and explains much of the criticism and doubt with which it was met. Each month since the launch of Rebuilding Ireland homelessness has gotten worse.

In early February, the narrative began to shift from providing homeless families with long-term housing, to moving them from hotels into “family hubs”.

(The first mention of the family hub model in the media appears to be in the Irish Times on 7 February)

Family hubs are group accommodation units specifically for families. They aim to provide cooking, cleaning and onsite support services for families (making them a more attractive option than commercial hotels).

They are operated by different not-for-profit organisations and are located across Dublin. In some cases, the hubs have been criticised.

For example, the plan to use a former Bargaintown warehouse in Coolock as a family hub was met with local resistance; the use of former commercial hotels has also been strongly criticised.

TheJournal.ie / YouTube

The first High Park hub in Drumcondra – operated by Respond! – opened in December.

There are at least 16 hubs planned with more possibly in the pipeline, with the end goal of housing all the homeless families currently residing in commercial hotels in Dublin.

Missing the deadline 

This week, Eoghan Murphy finally announced that the July deadline for getting families out of hotels would not be met.

In fact, what he said was that “the delivery of some of the accommodation solutions will stretch beyond the 1 July deadline”.

IMG_20170622_115813 Murphy speaking to reporters during the week. Cormac Fitzgerald / TheJournal.ie Cormac Fitzgerald / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

Murphy did commit that 650 or so families staying in commercial hotels in Dublin in May would either be re-housed in family hubs or have been written to giving them notice of where they were going by the end of this month.

In relation to new families becoming homeless – 50 to 70 a month  - he said the department  was working to ensure that these families were given “certainty” about where they were going.

Murphy’s confirmation of the deadline being missed confirmed what workers in homeless services had been saying repeatedly.

While the Housing Department, ministers, and the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive – which manages homeless services across the Dublin region – all steadfastly refused to say that the target wouldn’t be met, charity workers said differently.

Murphy committed to still working hard to ensure that the use of commercial hotels ends, but as Mike Allen pointed out, that is not the goal that was originally intended in Rebuilding Ireland.

“The second part of that commitment has been forgotten over the period of time and it’s now just moving people into these hubs,” Allen told TheJournal.ie.

Rebuilding Ireland doesn’t think that’s the answer, we don’t think that’s the answer.

Focus Ireland said that the attention needs to shift away from emergency measures, towards actually getting people out of homelessness.

But while the number of families in hotels might be going down, the figures are showing that the number of families becoming homeless is going to continue to rise every month.

Read: Taking rundown Dublin buildings and turning them into homes

Read: ‘It could take 40 years to provide enough homes for people on Dublin’s housing list’

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27 Comments
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    Mute James
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    May 17th 2021, 10:04 PM

    The Labour party, always well meaning in opposition, talk the talk until the get in to government the wou6 make any right wing party proud .

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    Mute TheMinisterForCraic
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    May 17th 2021, 10:13 PM

    How do I run for the election? I could do with a 6 figure salary and absolutely no consequences for telling lies or doing anything wrong in my job. #VoteMe

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    Mute Tessa Madden
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    May 17th 2021, 10:42 PM

    @TheMinisterForCraic: and expenses so you can buy lunch for your cronies without needing receipts!

    183
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    Mute TheMinisterForCraic
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    May 17th 2021, 11:14 PM

    @Tessa Madden: I’ll buy everyone who votes for me lunch. I’ll also promise you anything you want just for your vote. Then when I get in I’ll do whatever I want in terms of decisions, I’ll ignore all of the promises I said and I’ll fill my pockets as much as I can in this short time in charge because I couldn’t careless about the future of Ireland, the future of my own family is all I care about it. #VoteMe

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    Mute Paul Shepherd
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    May 18th 2021, 11:24 AM

    @TheMinisterForCraic: not to mention a fat pension for life after the gravy train reaches the terminus.

    15
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    Mute This time its personable!
    Favourite This time its personable!
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    May 17th 2021, 10:03 PM

    Ivana Back? Is she new, I don’t think I’ve ever heard of her or of her having an opinion no one asked.

    256
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    Mute Neil Neart
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    May 18th 2021, 12:04 AM

    @This time its personable!: Poor Ivana. God love her. She should cop on and get a real job.

    164
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    Mute M. Murphy
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    May 17th 2021, 10:21 PM

    Jesus labour are the gift that keep on giving ha. Alan Kelly in charge and all of a sudden then thobk they have a conscience. Would make ya possibly get them your No.4 vote. Almost. God love her hasn’t a hope and either do FG on retaining the seat, with their voice of a generation ( with supreme Court parents and grandparents) candidate. Both really understand the working man

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    Mute pat seery
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    May 17th 2021, 10:30 PM

    Another Has Been

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    Mute Paul Jude Redmond
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    May 18th 2021, 12:39 AM

    @pat seery: you have to be someone to start with before you become a has been…

    61
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    Mute Paul Whitehead
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    May 18th 2021, 8:13 AM

    @pat seery: Very poor grammar. “Another was”.

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    Mute Conor McNamara
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    May 18th 2021, 9:47 AM

    @Paul Jude Redmond: A neverwasser

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    Mute Jules
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    May 17th 2021, 10:07 PM

    If people don’t get out and vote, nothing will change.

    130
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    Mute The Grand Nagus
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    May 17th 2021, 10:12 PM

    @Jules:
    Vote for who?

    48
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    Mute Jules
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    May 17th 2021, 10:28 PM

    @The Grand Nagus: whoever you choose, but vote. The generally low turnout of voters perpetuates the poor standard of government

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    Mute JongaFe
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    May 18th 2021, 6:19 AM

    @Jules: no it’s the candidates that perpetuates the poor stand of government!

    26
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    Mute Jess Delahunt
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    May 18th 2021, 7:39 AM

    @JongaFe: it’s both

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    Mute Sheila McNulty
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    May 17th 2021, 10:45 PM

    Can’t stand listening to her, still trying to get into Government hopefully not a hope

    152
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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    May 17th 2021, 11:41 PM

    Labour’s vision of Ireland became FGs version of Ireland when in government. Reduced to six seats , thats when they discovered the road to Damascus moment..

    125
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    Mute Locojoe
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    May 17th 2021, 11:51 PM

    Just a question. Has Ivana won a “popular vote” election in the past?

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    Mute Paul Jude Redmond
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    May 18th 2021, 12:35 AM

    Some people just can’t take no for an answer

    104
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    Mute Tuesday Paddy
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    May 17th 2021, 10:05 PM

    Serial loser going to lose another election.

    275
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    Mute Valthebear
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    May 18th 2021, 7:03 AM

    Another well heeled socialist.. Like Mickey D’s daughter, if you can’t win a real election take a handy number in the Senate spouting oh so progressive platitudes that mean nothing. Our political class are useless. Bacik offers nothing only soundbites for affluent liberals. Labour lost touch with working people a long time ago.

    127
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    Mute Henry O'Brien
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    May 18th 2021, 6:14 AM

    There hasn’t been a good leader of the Labour Party since Dick Spring, Ivana puts her name forward in every election that arises, seanad, council, presidentdency and now have another go at becoming a TD, which she has done enough time and not be elected, this by-election is in constituency where I live, personally I can’t see her been elected, certainly not by residents who live in the working class areas such as myself.

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    Mute Shane McGrath
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    May 17th 2021, 10:38 PM

    Zzzzzzzz

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    Mute Fran O'Keeffe
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    May 17th 2021, 10:32 PM

    You have to hopes no hope and Bob hope

    67
    CASO
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    Mute CASO
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    May 17th 2021, 10:47 PM

    Absolutely useless person. Chocolate teapot springs to mind. Never forget labour cutting the ribbon on a soup kitchen.

    160
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    Mute Cookie
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    May 18th 2021, 8:45 AM

    Bacik has never been elected. That is not going to change.
    As she takes a 70,000eur a year salary from taxpayers for her unelected position of senator, she can properly be regarded as a thief.
    The Seanad is a stain on Irish democracy.

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    Mute Rob Jones
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    May 17th 2021, 10:42 PM

    Bacik is too smart for her own good. Lacks personality. You would never win an arguement against her. Pity as she got bags of potential.

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    Mute Ross McBride
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    May 17th 2021, 11:13 PM

    @Rob Jones: if she was that great she wouldn’t have failed to be elected in any of her 3 previous attempts at a Dail seat.

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    Mute Paul Whitehead
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    May 18th 2021, 8:18 AM

    @Rob Jones: Being an excellent lawyer doesn’t make her a good public representative. She should stick to law and teaching. She has no chance. Labour is a dead party to the working class after IPhone-Joan.

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    Mute John Hagin Meade
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    May 18th 2021, 1:48 PM

    @Paul Whitehead: “Labour is a dead party to the working class after IPhone-Joan.” Don’t forget Alan Kelly and Eamon ‘Labour’s way or Frankfort’s Way’ Gilmore. No way Labour…Just go away.

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    Mute Virgil
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    May 18th 2021, 8:55 AM

    @Billy Big Baws: the comment about her name is uncalled for. It’s a Czech name i think

    13
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    Mute damien mac aodha
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    May 18th 2021, 9:54 AM

    A health and welfare service from CABLE to the grave ??? So when does this service become available?

    12
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    Mute Virgil
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    May 18th 2021, 8:57 AM

    Bacik is head and shoulders in intellect above most Irish politicians which means of course she’s never elected. I’m amazed she’s never got in somewhere. I’d vote for her if I was in DB South. I don’t always agree with her but at least she has ideas

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    Mute Collitov
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    May 18th 2021, 10:22 AM

    Whatever your views on the Labour Party Ivana Bacik is a good opreator with a long track record on social issues and would be a great addition to the Dáil. She does not deserve the negativity on show in these comments.

    9
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    Mute Corkonian In Dublin
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    May 18th 2021, 9:32 AM

    Any prospective candidate talking about house prices from this constituency smacks of hypocrisy.

    23
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    Mute Nick Caffrey
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    May 18th 2021, 9:00 AM

    @Billy Big Baws: Igno rant, rac ist lo ut.

    9
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    Mute Darren Carroll
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    May 18th 2021, 6:29 PM

    She does know and remember labours vision changes when they get into government..what was it… labours way not frankfurts way

    5
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