Eoin Ó Broin
Question:520. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the associated costs of funding one Housing First tenancy in tabular form. [51771/17]
View answerTuesday, 5 December 2017
Questions (520)
Written answers
The Housing First programme is a key housing support for those that are homeless and have complex needs. This includes rough sleepers, long-term users of emergency accommodation, young people exiting care, and those exiting institutions such as prisons and hospitals. Evidence in Ireland and internationally shows the Housing First approach to be an efficient and effective way to address homelessness for these target groups.
While the roll out and implementation of the Housing First programme in the Dublin region is a matter for the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), my Department is working closely with the DRHE and other urban local authorities to support them deliver on the Housing First targets in Rebuilding Ireland. To date, 180 new Housing First tenancies have been created. In terms of the costs of funding one Housing First tenancy, my Department does not hold that specific data.
I can, however, confirm that the DRHE have incurred expenditure of €1.28 million to date in 2017, in relation to the Housing First programme, which is being delivered through a consortium of the Peter McVerry Trust and Focus Ireland. This contract also provides for the delivery of the regional contact & outreach service for rough sleepers. Furthermore, both the Peter McVerry Trust and Focus Ireland receive significant amounts of capital funding annually from my Department for the delivery of homes to be used for social housing purposes, including Housing First tenancies.