Some done but a lot to do for Ireland's poor

Respond!, Ireland’s largest Housing Association, welcomes the publication of the National Plan for Social Inclusion by the Government but warns that significant investment is required to ensure that the high-priority goal of meeting the accommodation need of 60,000 households, particularly homeless people, Travellers and other disabled people is achieved.

The organisation calls on the Government, and all Local Authorities, to make both finance and land available to Housing Associations such as Respond!, who recently launched a Traveller Accommodation and Support Policy. It is also imperative that local authorities do not continue to shirk their responsibility to provide social and affordable housing by allowing builders to make cash payments in lieu of providing actual houses.

Fr. Pat Cogan, Managing Director of Respond! said: “While we welcome this report, we hope this is not merely auction politics in the build-up to the general election. Very real action and conviction is needed by this Government if they are to meet their goal of providing 60,000 units of accommodation as this will have enormous implications for planning and community development. By allowing developers to pay cash in lieu of Part V obligations, the shortage of social and affordable homes in Ireland has worsened.”

Another key priority of this National Plan for Social Inclusion is the provision of pre-school education for children in disadvantaged areas. As an organisation with over 65 childcare centres nationwide which cater mainly for low income families, Respond! welcomes the identification of pre-school education as a priority area but calls for a more solid and definite allocation of funding which at present tends to be on ad-hoc basis. An increase in childcare facilities will ease the transition back to work for many lone parents who at present may not be in a position to return to full or part-time employment due to a complete lack of appropriate and affordable childcare in many areas.

“Many parents, but especially lone parents, find themselves stuck in a situation whereby they may wish to return to work but cannot afford to due to the escalating cost of childcare in this country. However, it is a priority of Respond! to provide support to all our residents and affordable childcare centres on our estates is just one method to achieve this” said Fr. Cogan.

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For further information, please contact:
Aoife Walsh, Public Relations Officer, Respond!