Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 October 2020
107. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the efforts he has made in respect of the 15% homeless persons in rural Ireland reported by a charity (details supplied) in July 2019; the progress made to house these persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31851/20]
View answerThe report referred to by the Deputy was published in 2019. Since then, the monthly homeless reports published by my Department have confirmed a reduction of 15% in the overall number of individuals, and a reduction of 35% in the overall number of families, experiencing homelessness.
Supporting individuals and families experiencing homelessness is a priority for this Government. The Programme for Government commits to reducing and preventing homelessness.
Ultimately the key to resolving homelessness is to increase the supply of housing, particularly for those on the lowest incomes. To this end, the Programme for Government commits to the increased supply of public, social and affordable homes. In particular, we will increase the social housing stock by more than 50,000 with an emphasis on new builds.
Budget 2021 makes provision for €218m in funding for homeless accommodation and related services. This is an increase of €22m or 11% on 2020 (€196m). This additional funding is reflective of the priority the Government is giving to homelessness and will ensure that local authorities can provide emergency accommodation and other services to households experiencing homelessness and that these households are supported to exit homelessness into homes as quickly as possible.
The Programme for Government also recognises that many households experiencing homelessness have additional support needs and includes specific measures to address these needs. These include measures to help rough sleepers into sustainable accommodation, the continued expansion of Housing First, with a focus on the construction and acquisition of one-bed homes, and, importantly, ensuring that there are dedicated funding and resources to deliver the necessary health and mental health supports required to assist homeless people with complex needs. Housing First is a nationwide response to long term homelessness and rough sleeping, with tenancy targets set for every local authority in the country.
I have established a Homelessness Taskforce, to provide a forum for engagement with key organisations working to address homelessness. The Taskforce is inputting into the implementation of the commitments on homelessness in the Programme for Government.
