Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 December 2020
252. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount of funding allocated by his Department to Longford County Council for the provision of social housing for persons with disabilities in each of the years 2017 to 2019 and to date in 2020. [42594/20]
View answerMy Department does not allocate funding to local authorities specifically for the provision of social housing for persons with disability. Local authorities, as well as approved housing bodies, are funded for the delivery of social housing against the targets that have been set for them and as part of this delivery, they will provide and allocate housing as appropriate to people with a disability.
All local authorities, including Longford County Council, operate within the Government's framework for the delivery of housing for people with disabilities as set out in the National Housing Strategy for people with a Disability (NHSPWD) which was jointly published by my Department and the Department of Health. One of the key measures of the Strategy has been the establishment of Housing and Disability Steering Groups (HDSGs) in all housing authorities, to achieve a coordinated and integrated approach to meeting the housing needs of people with a disability at local level.
The HDSGs are chaired by Directors of Housing in each authority and include HSE and disability representative organisations. Each HDSG has prepared a local Strategic Plan for its own area. These Plans, along with the annual Summary of Social Housing Assessments, allow local authorities to plan more strategically for the housing needs of people with a disability and to support the delivery of accommodation using all appropriate housing supply mechanisms.
As well as the provision of funding for new social housing delivery, including homes allocated to persons with disability, my Department also provides funding to Longford County Council for the adaptation of both Council housing and private housing to meet the needs of people with disability.
