Public Consultation on the Child and Family Homelessness Action Plan
Crosscare Submission
Crosscare is a social support agency with a long history of working with people at risk of homelessness or experiencing it.
This submission is based on:
- our experience of providing residential accommodation and support to people who are homeless
- our information, advocacy and support projects with people at risk of, or in, homelessness
Increasing housing supply
The supply of social and affordable housing must increase, including more 3-, 4-, and 5-bedroom homes to meet the needs of larger family units.
Supporting families with complex needs
Crosscare works with families with complex needs. Families in this category, coming from Private Emergency Accommodations (PEAs), tend to spend longer in homelessness. In PEA’s, due to the lack of appropriate on-site staffing and support, families’ needs often go unaddressed at an early stage and may worsen over time. Family hubs, with the appropriate supports, are better placed to meet the needs of such families.
Mitigating the impact of homelessness on children
The impact of homelessness on children is widely documented. Children in homelessness need to be prioritised, and funding ringfenced for, social, educational, health, mental health and other interventions. Easy access to early education intervention, mental health supports, etc., can in part mitigate the predictable trauma that homelessness will imprint on children.
Strengthening Tusla’s role
The role of Tusla with families where there are ongoing child protection or safeguarding issues must be reviewed and strengthened. There are consistently high referrals from family hubs to Tusla, highlighting the need for more direct involvement rather than the current largely hands-off approach. Stronger Tusla engagement would help address emergencies and prevent the further development of child protection issues.
Homelessness prevention and youth homelessness
To prevent and reduce youth homelessness at the scale needed, the government should significantly increase investment and resources for initiatives such as Focus Ireland Youth Family Mediation, in line with the prevention priority actions in the 2023–2025 Youth Homelessness Strategy.
In addition, a greater allocation of budgetary resources within Tusla should be directed towards targeted family mediation supports under its Prevention, Partnership, and Family Support (PPFS) services. This would enable these initiatives to expand, become more widespread, and be embedded within community social work channels.
Housing First for families
A Housing First approach should be adopted for families with complex needs. This could reduce the number of families returning to homelessness. Tusla would play a key role in this model, with supports built around the individual family’s needs.
Families leaving IPAS
Families resident in IPAS accommodation who have been granted leave to remain should be named as a specific vulnerable group at risk of homelessness. Any plan should ensure adequate support for both IPAS centres and families granted leave to remain, so they can transition into stable housing without being forced into homelessness. Comprehensive housing support should be provided at the point of granting residence permission and should follow through to secure housing, with the aim of reducing time spent in IPAS and transitioning families with permission out of the direct provision system within a short timeframe.
Forward planning
We ask that the Plan include clear strategic goals for housing development, taking the Government’s migration strategies into account, and include sufficient forward housing planning for work permit holders in critical roles in the economy, international students, and other workers.
