The Simon Communities of Ireland will today warn the Government that it will not meet its goal of ending long-term homelessness by 2010 unless it uses this year's budget to help vulnerable groups.
Simon, which provides homeless services to about 3,000 people every year, will issue its forecast on ending homelessness this morning.
Simon's chief executive Patrick Burke said the forecast was being issued because Simon was concerned about recent warnings from the Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen, about restraint in the forthcoming budget.
"It is absolutely critical that any cutbacks do not impact on the most vulnerable groups in society," he said.
Mr Burke said this budget represented "the last and most critical" opportunity for the Government to reach its own goals of ending long-term homelessness and the practice of sleeping rough within three years.
"We don't want to see a repeat of the so-called 'savage 16' cuts that took place in the aftermath of the general election in 2002," he said.
Simon will highlight the shortage of emergency accommodation for homeless people as a priority area to be addressed in the budget.
Mr Burke said the problem was more acute in Cork and in a number of provincial towns where some centres had to turn people away because of bed shortages.
He warned that the lower end of the private rented sector was coming under growing pressure because of increasing rents and he said it was important to ensure that levels of homelessness do not increase as a result of the current economic climate.
"It is critical that investment is made now," he said.
Simon will also highlight the need for quality standards in the services provided to homeless people.
It has just made its pre-budget submission to the Department of Finance. The submission called for a revision of the rent supplement scheme, with payments in advance rather than arrears. It also called for an increase in existing rent caps to reflect the real cost of renting.
Simon has sought the early payment of deposits from community welfare officers. It pointed to several cases where clients lost potential accommodation because of the delay in receiving the deposit.
The pre-budget submission also called for investment in improving access to education, training and employment for people experiencing homelessness.
"This is a critical factor in sustaining accommodation in the longer term," it said.
Simon has also called for a "significant commitment" to health-related services around homelessness.
"Interventions must relate to addressing physical health issues as well as those related to mental illness and addiction, as research shows that 90 per cent of people experiencing homelessness suffer one or more physical health complaints, the submission said.
