New Housing Action Plan must support normal family living

“B&Bs and hotel accommodation are not suitable to support normal family living. Urgent action is needed to provide alternative accommodation for families who have become homeless”, says the Ombudsman for Children, Dr Niall Muldoon.

Dr Muldoon was speaking following a meeting today (Tuesday) with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government where the Office of the Ombudsman for Children (OCO) outlined proposed key measures to ensure that children are represented in the new Housing Action Plan.

“There is no doubt that the housing crisis is having a disproportionate effect on children. Becoming homeless and spending months in unsuitable accommodation is traumatic for anyone, but for children, it differentiates them from their peers and can mean a loss of a significant period of their childhood.

“The new Housing Action Plan must make clear that B&B and hotel accommodation is a measure of last resort for children and their families. The new plan should ensure that no child is subjected to degrading or humiliating experiences as a result of being homeless. If a family has to stay in emergency accommodation for a short period of time, there should be no question of them using service entrances or being forced to eat in separate areas.”

Nuala Ward, Director of Investigations at the OCO highlighted the need for a joined up approach:

“The new Housing Action Plan should consider using existing structures, such as the Children and Young People’s Service Committees (CYPSCs) to bring housing officials, education providers, public health nurses, TUSLA, the Gardaí and community groups together, to identify families at risk of homelessness and work together to meet their needs.

“It is vital that we not only deal with the crisis at hand, but plan for the future. The national policy framework for children and young people commits to developing child and youth friendly communities. Therefore, plans for much needed social housing should consider the need for green space, appropriate facilities and communal areas.

“The OCO has urged the Government to undertake a child rights impact assessment of all social housing planning to determine the future generational impact for children.”

The Children’s Ombudsman, Dr Niall Muldoon, also outlined the importance of addressing the issue of vulnerable groups or those at risk of homelessness:

“As the fastest growing group within the homeless population, families identified as at risk of homelessness, or the invisible homeless – those sleeping on couches of family and friends, should be identified early. These families currently cannot be helped until they are homeless; this is a missed opportunity.

“Children in care are also particularly vulnerable to becoming homeless. We know this to be the case over many years, so there is no reason why we are not planning early and resourcing those plans adequately to make them effective.

“Housing laws are framed around the old concept of the home owner and additional occupants, thus children are largely invisible in housing law and policy. This makes it much harder for their best interests to be considered by decision makers, and in the long term this must change. This is an issue the OCO will pursue.  However, in the short-term, preventing families becoming homeless; providing suitable accommodation for families where homelessness does occur; and moving away from a system reliant on inadequate B&Bs and hotels must be the priority.”

ENDS

Contact:
Aoife Carragher
Ombudsman for Children’s Office
01 865 6806 / 087 148 4173

Notes to Editor

• The Ombudsman for Children’s Office is an independent statutory body with an overall mandate to promote the rights and welfare of children under the age of 18 living in Ireland.
• Among the Ombudsman for Children’s core statutory functions is the independent and impartial investigation of complaints made by, or on behalf of, children in relation to public bodies, as well as organisations providing services on behalf of the State.

• 12 July 2016
• Type: Press Release
• Topic: Housing