Homeless In Ireland

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Introduction This essay will give the reader a description of homelessness through the 1988 housing Act it will also show the reader how difficult it is to define homelessness within Ireland as voluntary groups have their own definition of homelessness. Homelessness is an extreme form of social exclusion. There are many reasons to trigger homelessness as there are many personal issues which contribute to the problem of homelessness. These issues include family breakdown, domestic violence, gambling, addiction and mental health. The Irish Government’s first strategy to prevent homeless was the Preventive Strategy 2000 which identified pathways into homelessness and the latest strategy is “The Way Home: A Strategy to Address Adult Homeless in Ireland 2008—2013”. This strategy is to eliminate long term homelessness of persons occupying emergency accommodation for a period of more than six months. Furthermore to this an interview on RTE Prime Time states these strategies are not working and NAMA has a property that could be used for social housing. This essay will also give a brief discussion on a social care practitioner. Definition of Homelessness Homelessness can affect all members of society, as it has deep roots in Ireland. According to Giddens (2009) the homeless suffer from the most extreme form of social exclusion. Without an address of their own, it is very difficult to receive a letter or the right to vote. According to Kennedy 2005 (cited in Focus Point 1994) that homelessness has been in existence for the past two hundred years. Makeroom estimated that they are currently 4143 people homeless at any given moment in Ireland (Makeroom.ie 2011). The 1988 Housing Act was welcomed by Voluntary groups such as St Vincent De Paul, Simon Community and Focus Ireland as this act is the first legal definition of homelessness in Ireland. Under Section 2 of 1988

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