Covid-19 can be a turning point in the fight against homelessness according to the founder of the homeless charity Focus Ireland.
The Charity is due to launch its 2019 annual report today. Sr Stanislaus Kennedy says lessons from the effectiveness of rent freezes and the ban on evictions can be learned by the Government.
She says people who have been homeless during the pandemic should be offered homes through an expanded Housing First Programme.
Focus Ireland says 14,200 people engaged with its services last year. Overall, 1,150 households were supported in settling into new homes or directed towards exiting homelessness., while 640 households were supported to keep their homes.