Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 31 January 2017
271. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his plans for ending the use of long-term accommodation for homeless families; and the date by which he anticipates doing so. [3757/17]
View answerRebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness fully recognises that the period of time that families spend in emergency hotel accommodation should be minimised. This is reflected in the commitment that, by mid-2017, hotels should only be used in limited circumstances as emergency accommodation for families. Full details and time frames in relation to the range of actions to address family homelessness are set out in Rebuilding Ireland, which is available on the www.rebuildingireland.ie website.
The increases in Rent Supplement and Housing Assistance Payment levels from 1 July 2016 will play an important role in the achievement of this overall objective, in terms of supporting families to remain in rented accommodation. However, where families do find themselves in homelessness situations, there are a range of solutions in place and bring progressed. These include the Housing Agency programme to acquire 1,600 units and the expanded HAP Homeless Pilot Scheme in Dublin, where some 800 homeless HAP tenancies were entered into by end-2016 and a further 1,200 tenancies are targeted for 2017 across the Dublin Region. A rapid-build programme is also in place, with over 350 rapid-build homes advancing at end-2016. My Department engages with the Dublin Region local authorities on a regular and on-going basis in relation to the delivery of these initiatives.
Overall, it is important to note that the significant programme of actions underway has resulted in an estimated 2,700 exits from homelessness being achieved nationally in 2016, a significant increase on the comparable figure of 2,322 in 2015.
