Vol. 501 No. 6
263 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for Health and Children the action, if any, being taken to provide care and shelter to people sleeping in doorways on a nightly basis in the courtyard at the Department of Agriculture and Food, Grafton Street, Merrion Row and surrounding areas; the numbers estimated; if these people have been identified as homeless; and his proposals, if any, to deal with the situation. [7248/99]
The provision of accommodation for and statistics on the number of homeless adults is a matter for the relevant local authority. I understand that Dublin Corporation will be carrying out a comprehensive survey of housing need in its area of responsibility this month and will be reporting its findings to my colleague the Minister for the Environment and Local Government.
The Eastern Health Board operates a homeless persons unit at Charles Street West, Dublin 7, which arranges emergency accommodation for homeless adults and families on behalf of the relevant local authorities in the Dublin area. The board also provides income maintenance through the supplementary welfare allowance scheme and advice and support to clients on access to the health, welfare and accommodation services available to them. The board, in co-operation with Dublin Corporation through the homeless initiative, funds voluntary organisations, providing outreach services to homeless people sleeping rough and to those providing day care services including meals. In addition, the board also provides a mental health service specifically for homeless persons including a hospital admission, treatment and day care service. The board points out that the number of persons sleeping rough changes from night to night but estimates that there are between 50 and 70 persons currently sleeping rough in the Dublin city centre area.
As mentioned above, the board is involved with Dublin Corporation in a joint homeless initiative. This was established in 1996 with the aim of ensuring that services for homeless persons in the Dublin, Kildare and Wicklow area are provided more effectively, particularly through improving their planning, co-ordination and delivery. This is to be achieved through analysis, planning and the development of strong partnership between the agencies involved in service provision including the health board, the local authorities and voluntary agencies. This process is ongoing and I understand that the homeless initiative is due to produce a report by the end of the year.
The Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children, Deputy Fahey, launched a Forum on Youth Homelessness in the Eastern Health Board on 25 February last. The purpose of the forum, is to bring together a group from the relevant sectors in the field of youth homelessness to draw up a plan to improve and develop services for young homeless people aged between 12 and 20 years in the board's area. A cross-Department team has also been established under the aegis of the Department of the Environment and Local Government to develop an integrated response to homelessness. The chief executive officer of the Eastern Health Board has established a senior management committee to consider the health and social needs of the homeless and to submit a report to the cross Department team by the end of March.
