Eoin Ó Broin
Question:712. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will consider ending the practice of self-accommodation for homeless families with children. [50623/18]
View answerTuesday, 4 December 2018
Questions (712, 713, 714, 715, 716)
Eoin Ó Broin
Question:713. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the timeline for the end of use of hotels and bed and breakfasts as emergency accommodation. [50624/18]
View answerEoin Ó Broin
Question:714. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if regulations will be introduced to ensure that families with children should not be in emergency accommodation for longer than six months; and if in conjunction with the monthly homeless report the type of emergency accommodation and the length of time families spend there will be published. [50625/18]
View answerEoin Ó Broin
Question:715. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government his plans to locate future emergency accommodation locations close to family resource centres. [50626/18]
View answerEoin Ó Broin
Question:716. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if regulations will be introduced to ensure that homeless families and dependent children are not spending longer than six months in emergency accommodation. [50627/18]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 712 to 716, inclusive, together.
The Government is committed to minimising the use of hotels and B&Bs for emergency accommodation and is rolling out a programme of family hubs to ensure that more suitable emergency accommodation is available for families experiencing homelessness. To date, 24 hubs have been opened, providing accommodation for over 550 families. My Department is working closely with the DRHE and other local authorities to deliver further facilities nationally as soon as possible as minimising the use of hotels and self-accommodation is critically dependant on the delivery of additional family hubs. The location of the hubs will be a matter for individual local authorities and is dependent on the availability of suitable sites or properties.
The Government is committed to ensuring that families experiencing homelessness receive the supports that they require. Rebuilding Ireland includes a programme of actions across the State Sector with involvement from a range of Government Departments and Agencies. In 2017, I established the Homelessness Inter-Agency Group to ensure a coordinated response to the State’s response to homelessness. The Group includes representation from all of the Government Departments and Agencies involved in the delivery of homeless services, including Tusla, the HSE and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.
All family hubs are operated in accordance with service level agreements/contracts between the local authorities and service providers. In the Dublin area, the DRHE has put in place service level agreements/contracts with a range of service providers for 20 family hubs. These agreements/contracts provide that families accessing family hub accommodation are supported in identifying and securing independent tenancies, including through the use of the HAP Placefinder service, within a six month period.
The expansion of the family hub programme will facilitate the provision of greater supports to families experiencing homelessness and facilitate more expeditious exits from homelessness into independent tenancies. It is accepted that in some cases, due to the accommodation requirements or preferences of some families, it may not be possible to facilitate their exit from the hub within a six-month period. As such, I have no plans to introduce regulations in this regard at this time.
In relation to the duration of time spent in emergency accommodation, the quarterly performance reports prepared by the local authorities include information on the duration of time spent by individuals in emergency accommodation but do not include a breakdown for families. My Department is currently developing a revised methodology for the collection and publication of homeless data.