Council To Receive Report On New Homeless Service In Bray

At the last meeting of Bray Municipal District, a motion from Sinn Féin Councillors calling for a report on the new homeless outreach service was agreed.

Speaking on the motion, Councillor Grace McManus said

“The new homeless outreach service for Bray is going to have a significant positive impact for people at risk of, or suffering, homelessness.

“We have seen that understanding the causes of homelessness is vitally important. The rise in Notices to Quit nationally was causing large amounts of homelessness. This resulted in the current ban on evictions.

“There could be other factors in our town that we need to have a specialized response to. For example, if we see a significant number of domestic violence presentations, we may need to look at options such as calling for step down facilities for the refuge.

“We have called for this homeless outreach support since 2020, but we are not content with sitting back now that it is in place. We believe we have an obligation to continue to be informed on the situation, and take action on the issues as they present, to be acting on this issue every day to play our role in making a difference. This report will support us to do that, and I’m looking forward to the discussions it will bring.”

Councillor Dermot O’Brien added

“We have called for this report to be given in 6 months, at our June meeting. This is a significant time, as the ban of evictions will have lifted in the Spring. No doubt this will be a significant and challenging time, one we need to plan for now strategically.

“Data must inform every decision we make at a council level. We must capture the stories, the causes and the policy gaps, and then be able to respond accordingly. This report will assist us in this work, and is another positive step for us responding to the housing emergency in Bray.”