<p>
	A &euro;300m investment package for social housing projects will take too long to help homeless people, the Government has been warned.</p>
<p>
	While Focus Ireland welcomed the scheme, which sees &euro;150m of funding from the European Investment Bank matched by Government resources in a bid to develop and upgrade 2,000 social housing units over the next three years, the group said more urgent action was needed.</p>
<p>
	With the first homes under the initiative not becoming available for two years, Mike Allen of Focus Ireland urged faster relief for homeless people.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;The announcement is very positive, in the medium term, for people experiencing homelessness,&rdquo; he said.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;The current crisis in family homelessness needs immediate action to stop the flood of families becoming homeless. Focus Ireland said its work has shown that the large majority of single people and families are currently becoming homeless because their rent supplement payments have not kept pace with a sharp rise in rents in recent years and they can&rsquo;t afford to keep a roof over their heads.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;Focus Ireland has previously welcomed the expansion of Government measures which have helped prevent over 300 families from becoming homeless but stressed that this scheme will not &mdash; and clearly has not &mdash; reached all the families at risk of losing their home as an average of 40 families became homeless every month last year.</p>
<p>
	&ldquo;This had doubled from the 20 families losing their home every month in Dublin in 2013. Focus Ireland once again called for the Government to raise rent supplement rates and bring in greater rent regulation. This would stem the flow of families and individuals becoming homeless.&rdquo;</p>
<p>
	Environment Minister Alan Kelly hailed the funding initiative as evidence that the Government was committed to focus resources on providing social housing.</p>
<p>
	<a href="http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/euro300m-plan-will-take-too-long-to-help-the-homeless-313405.html">http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/euro300m-plan-will-take-too-long-to-help-the-homeless-313405.html</a></p>
