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It has been six months since Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party signed off on the Our Shared Future Programme for Government.
In it, the coalition parties pledged to reform and reimagine public life.
Among topics it covered are greater diversity and gender equality in local government, reform of the Oireachtas - as well as electoral reform.
In a similar vein they promised Constitutional reform - with referendums planned on housing and extending the presidential vote to Irish citizens abroad.
But in the more immediate term, the parties want to make a difference in people s lives today.
“We’re in constant contact with the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) through the Lord Mayor’s forum that was set up a number of months ago to address the issue of homelessness in Dublin.
“We’re spending a hell of a lot of money, and we’re not getting the results that we need in terms of outcomes and exits within homeless services, and we can pat each other on the back as much as we want to about how much has been done but there’s still an awful lot to be done.
“The buck stops with the minister and the minister has to accept responsibility that there have been deaths on his watch.”
A homeless charity has warned there will be further deaths of rough sleepers on the streets of Dublin over Christmas if the Government does not intervene.
Chief executive of Dublin based charity, Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH), Anthony Flynn criticised the Government’s response to the homeless crisis, saying Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien needed to take responsibility for rough sleepers dying on his watch.
The bodies of two men, both aged in their 40s, were found on the streets in Dublin city centre in November.
They were found within hours of one another.
One of the men was discovered in a tent on Leinster Lane off Nassau Street, while the other man was found dead at a house on Longford Street off Aungier Street.
“We have reached out to the Minister.
“We’re in constant contact with the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) through the Lord Mayor’s forum that was set up a number of months ago to address the issue of homelessness in Dublin.”
“We’re spending a hell of a lot of money, and we’re not getting the results that we need in terms of outcomes and exits within homeless services, and we can pat each other on the back as much as we want to about how much has been done but there’s still an awful lot to be done.
New app allows public to alert outreach teams to rough sleepers
21/12/2020
The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) has launched a new free app that will allow the public to alert them to the location of anyone sleeping rough.
The new app is designed for the public to assist in getting outreach teams to reach those who are sleeping rough across the city. Up to now the only options for the public to get in contact with the outreach team were to call a phone number or use an online form.
While the teams know from experience where most people are sleeping, dropping a pin on the new Dublin Rough Sleeper App will mean greater accuracy when it comes to rough sleeper alerts from the public, enabling them to reach people in need faster.