Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 December 2020
349. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the long-term measures being put in place to address the homelessness issue in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44488/20]
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 accommodation and associated services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities.
Decisions on the range of emergency accommodation services required are a matter for individual housing authorities in consultation with the Statutory Management Group of the relevant regional joint Homeless Consultative Forum. A Management Group is in place for each homeless region, comprised of representatives from the relevant housing authorities and the Health Service Executive. The Management Group is responsible for considering the need for homeless services and the planning, implementation, funding and coordination of such services.
Increasing the supply of housing, particularly new build social and affordable homes, is a priority for me and for this Government. The Programme for Government commits to increasing the social housing stock by more than 50,000, with an emphasis on new builds. In Budget 2021, we backed this objective with funding of €3.3 billion for the delivery of housing. The available funding will deliver 12,750 new social homes through build, acquisition and leasing. A major focus of this investment is the delivery of new build, with an overall target of 9,500 new homes. The targets will see increased local authority build on local authority land.
The Programme for Government 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 is dedicated funding and resources to deliver the necessary health and mental health supports required to assist homeless people with complex needs.
