Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 12 October 2021
201. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the amount allocated to Limerick City and County Council for emergency accommodation for 2020 and 2021; and the amount spent and drawn down per month. [49881/21]
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 costs incurred on the provision of services. Under these 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. Therefore, the exact spend by housing authorities on homeless services is a matter for individual housing authorities.
Exchequer funding is provided through my Department to housing authorities on a regional basis. Limerick is included in the Mid West region for the purposes of homeless administration, along with Clare. In 2020 a total of €9.2 million was recouped to the Mid West region towards its regional homeless services programme and funding recouped towards expenditure incurred in implementing exceptional Covid-19 measures. The amount recouped to date in 2021 is €6.2m.
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: www.gov.ie/en/collection/80ea8-homelessness-data/#local-authority-regional-financial-reports
