Dublin City Council is looking into plans to buy our build their own homeless accommodation centres.
Officials in the capital currently rent up to 70 per cent of their homeless hostels from private owners.
At a recent meeting of DCC, many councillors voiced support to explore options for owning more accommodation
Louisa Santoro is the head of the Mendicity Institution, which offers support to those living on the street.
She says they may be shocked by what they find in these hostels.
"The idea that Dublin City Council or DRHE (Dublin Region Homeless Executive) may buy the accomodation that they are already using, I would be really curious about that.
"You may find that some of the accommodation that they are using on a lease through a private provider would not meet the basic standards that they would demand themselves.
"This asks the question, why are they using it?"
This point is backed up by a homeless service user who asked to be named Rosie.
She told us living on the street is preferable to some of the private facilities.
"The stories I've heard about hostels have been crazy, like stuff out of horror movies.
"I would much rather live in a tent in my own space than live in a hostel where anyone could do anything."
Sinn Fein says the plans are another consequence of the Government's failing housing policy.
Focus Ireland recently found the State spent over 270 million euro on renting out homeless accommodation from private operators last year.
Sinn Fein Housing spokesperson Eoin O'Broin says renting just doesn't add up.
"If a family with three or four children was to present today in Dublin seeking emergency accommodation, it could cost up to €140,000 euro a year.
"Families of that size are also likely to spend two or three years in that accommodation.
"It makes no sense to be forking out hundreds of thousands of euros for what in many cases is poor quality when that money could be used to buy homes."
Image: Homeless, © PA Archive/PA Images
