I am aware of the draft Mid-West Homeless Framework Plan, produced by the Mid-West Homeless Forum.
Receiving the full adult rate of a jobseekers payment without a strong financial incentive to engage in education or training can lead to welfare dependency. While many young people with low levels of education and training were able to get work in construction and other areas when the economy was doing well, they are likely to find it much harder to get work of the next few years. The measures referred to will encourage young jobseekers to improve their skills in order to avoid the risk of becoming long-term unemployed and will help them to progress into sustainable employment on a long-term basis.
In light of increased demand for training and education, the Government is now providing, through FÁS, a total of 128,000 training and activation places for the unemployed this year. This is a substantial increase on the approximate 66,000 places provided last year. There is a wide range of education and training opportunities available through my Department, the Department of Education and Skills and FÁS to jobseekers to support them in strengthening their qualifications and skills base and thereby maximising their chances of meeting the requirements of the modern labour market and gaining employment.
The measures referred to represent one element of ongoing reforms and enhancement of the national employment action plan and will work in tandem with changes in ministerial responsibility and other developments such as customer profiling and restructuring of agencies to deliver a better outcome for users of services and for the taxpayer
It may also be noted that the supplementary welfare allowance (SWA) scheme provides for a weekly supplement to meet specific needs such as rent and/or mortgage interest supplement, diet supplement, heating supplement, or a once-off payment to help with the cost of any exceptional needs a person may have which they could not reasonably be expected to meet from their own resources, such as support to those requiring assistance with a rent deposit. One of the most important supports provided to homeless people through the social welfare system is assistance with rent deposits to enable them to secure private rented accommodation.