DUBLIN City Council has proposed housing homeless people on a cruise ship over the winter period.
It's the second time the idea of renting a private cruise ship for 100 to 150 homeless has been put forward as a temporary solution to the homeless issue.
The suggestion was previously dropped by the Department of Housing, and has been rubbished yet again by Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy.
The Minister tweeted: “The cruise ship idea is not suitable for homeless families in need. Better, more appropriate, solutions are being pursued every day by the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive.”
The cruise ship idea is not suitable for homeless families in need. Better, more appropriate, solutions are being pursued every day by the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive.
— Eoghan Murphy (@MurphyEoghan) October 4, 2018
Owen Keegan, Dublin City Council's chief executive, told the housing minister in September that the plan to house some homeless on a ship could be "revisited".
Mr Keegan was responding to letters sent by Minister Murphy to Dublin's four local authorities about targets to provide additional homeless family hub accommodation and beds for rough sleepers.
At the time, the city council decided against pursuing the plan, “but it is something we are not ruling out” for the future, according to Brendan Kenny, head of DCC housing services.
Yesterday afternoon, the Irish government was defeated in a vote on a cross-party motion to declare housing and homelessness a national emergency.
There are currently 1,367 families in homeless accommodation in Dublin alone, according to latest figures.
Speaking in the Dáil, Tánaiste (deputy prime minister) Simon Coveney said the delay in delivery of social housing is about the capacity of local authorities to deliver at the pace they are being asked to deliver.
See More: Council, Cruise Ship, Dublin, Homeless, Ireland
