My Department recently received and responded to correspondence from Donegal County Council regarding the provision of funding, under Section 10 of the 1988 Housing Act, to the White Oaks Rehabilitation Centre.
My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with the housing authorities, in this instance Donegal County Council.
The purposes for which housing authorities may incur expenditure in addressing homelessness are prescribed in Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. Under the delegated arrangements for Section 10 funding, the responsibility for rigorous assessment, appraisal and decision making in relation to proposals for funding of particular services within the budgetary allocation rests with the statutory Homelessness Management Group of the respective region, which includes representation from Donegal and Leitrim County Councils and the Health Service Executive, and is led by Sligo County Council.
My Department has no function in regard to, nor is it involved in, decisions on operational matters.
