The Simon Community today warned the upcoming budget was crucial for the Government in tackling homelessness.
Speaking at the organisation's forecast on homelessness, Simon CEO Patrick Burke said the budget was the government's final and critical chance to honour its pledge of ending long-term homelessness by 2010.
Patrick Burke, chief executive, Simon
"In order to meet this target we are calling on the Government to focus on three key areas: measures to end long-term homelessness; the need to fill existing gaps in emergency accommodation services and the need for a significant increase in the supply of social housing," he said.
Mr Burke said he was concerned the Minister for Finance had delivered a restrained outlook for expenditure right across Government departments for 2008.
"If restraint is exercised in funding programmes to end homelessness in the forthcoming budget, the target of ending homelessness by 2010 will collapse," he said.
"Furthermore, without sustained spending in programmes to tackle homelessness, there is a strong possibility that the numbers who are homeless will increase due to pressures at the lower end of the housing market, both in the rented and home-owner sectors," he added.
Mr Burke said he didn't want to see a repeat of the "savage 16" cuts that took place after the election in 2002.
"These changes in rent supplement, while eventually were eased, had a major impact on people at risk of homelessness. Simon is keeping its eye on the ball for any policy or expenditure changes that could have an adverse impact on people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless," he said.
"We won't stand back and allow potentially detrimental cutbacks to slip through again," he added.