Written Answers. - Homeless Children.
Michael D'Arcy
Question:
46
Mr. D'Arcy
asked the
Minister for Health
whether he has received recent reports from voluntary agencies which provide placement for young homeless children on the numbers who are appropriately placed; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Patrick McCartan
Question:
53
Mr. McCartan
asked the
Minister for Health
if he has received a report from the Eastern Health Board on the recent case of a 15 year old homeless Dublin boy who was left without supervised accommodation for over a month; the steps, if any, which have been taken to deal with this case and with the general problems highlighted by the experience of this boy; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 53 together.
It is not clear what reports Deputy D'Arcy is referring to in his question but I presume that what he has in mind are the problems that occasionally arise in finding suitable accommodation for some homeless youngsters. The case referred to by Deputy McCartan is one such example.
The Eastern Health Board have kept my Department fully informed of developments relating to that case. The problems that arose reflect the current shortage of appropriate accommodation for the young homeless in the Dublin area. The Eastern Health Board, in conjuction with the various voluntary bodies working with the young homeless, have initiated a number of new developments to provide 40 additional places for the young homeless. Twelve of those are already available and the remainder will come on stream shortly. Details of the new places are as follows:—
—a new emergency hostel providing 10 places for homeless girls is now in place at Sherrard House, Dublin 1;
—a new residential unit for 10 boys to be operated by the Los Angeles Society is due to open in Dalkey this month;
—the hostel for homeless boys run by the Catholic Social Service Conference has been re-located from Percy Place to newly refurbished accommodation at Eccles Street resulting in an increase from 10 to 12 in the number of places;
—a new after-care service for up to four boys leaving that hostel has been established at Lennox Street;
—a new therapeutic unit for eight difficult adolescents (boys and girls) operated by the Eastern Health Board near Naas, County Kildare will be open next month.
In addition, the Eastern Health Board are taking a number of other initiatives, including:—
—a "Carers for Young People Scheme" to provide family care for adolescents who have had difficulty adapting to other settings;
—developing other short term accommodation such as digs, sheltered flats and semi-independent living accommodation.
These developments are being financed from the special funding for child care set aside in the Budgets of 1991 and 1992 in accordance with the commitment to theProgramme for Economic and Social Progress. When all of these new developments are fully operational later this year, they will represent a significant addition to the range of facilities and services currently available to assist the young homeless.
Progress regarding the implementation of these initiatives and the operation of existing services in this area are regularly evaluated at meetings which my colleague, Chris Flood TD, Minister of State, has with representatives of both the Eastern Health Board and the various voluntary bodies dealing with homeless children in the Dublin area.
