Focus Ireland has reiterated concerns about the Housing and Residential Tenancies Bill which is due to complete its passage in the Dáil tomorrow night.
In recent weeks a coalition of charities pointed out that there had been minimal debate and last-minute amendments to the legislation which they said would result in a shift in homeless policy.
The Minister for Housing James Browne stated at the time that there had been ample debate over the legislation.
However, Director of Advocacy at Focus Ireland Mike Allen said the “Miscellaneous Bill” which had been published included “so many ill-considered measures, it is impossible to detail them all in one press statement.”
The legislation means that only those who can prove to local authority staff that they are “habitually resident” in Ireland will get access to shelter if they are homeless.
Focus Ireland has said that this requires detailed paperwork which people are unlikely to have if fleeing domestic violence, have been evicted or are going through a mental health crisis.
Under the old legislation, local authorities had the discretion on humanitarian grounds to offer on-going shelter to people.
The charity highlighted Government amendments which remove the legal basis for a “humanitarian safety net, replacing it with a new so-called ‘safety net’ of night-time only shelter for two nights.”
This Bill is the first change in homelessness legislation since 1988.
It includes the time at which vulnerable people are allowed access to shelter (8pm) and when they will need to leave (8am).
Mr Allen said the Government’s justification for the “rushed legislation” was to provide “clarity” to the homelessness system.
“Instead, it creates a range of new uncertainties about access to emergency accommodation and how vulnerable people will be treated,” he said.
He called for the legislation to be put on hold while it is given the “detailed consideration it merits” or for the Seanad to play its constitutional role.
He said that if the legislation is passed unaltered, it would result in “on-going tensions between homeless NGOs and local government about how its provision are implemented and monitored.”