Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 November 2020
612. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the budget that was allocated to Clare County Council for homeless services in 2019; and if this entire budget was spent in 2019. [33012/20]
View answerMy 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 emergency accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities.
My Department does not fund any homeless services directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards these costs. Under the funding arrangements, housing authorities must provide at least 10% of the cost of services from their own resources. Housing authorities may also incur additional expenditure on homeless related services outside of these funding arrangements with my Department.
Exchequer funding for homeless services is provided through my Department to housing authorities on a regional basis. County Clare is included in the Mid West region for the purposes of homeless administration, along with Limerick. In 2019 a total of €7.56 million was recouped to the Mid West region towards its regional homeless services programme.
In light of the foregoing, the precise spend by Clare County Council on homeless services is a matter for the individual housing authority in consultation with the Management Group of the relevant regional joint Homeless Consultative Forum.
In this regard, financial reports from each of the homeless regions including the Mid West region, setting out expenditure on homeless accommodation and related services are published on my Department's website at the following link;
https:/www.housing.gov.ie/housing/homelessness/other/homelessness-data
