Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 May 2022
73. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the funding that has been provided to each approved housing body in 2020 and 2021, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24996/22]
View answerThere are a range of funding and delivery mechanisms available to local authorities to deliver social housing supports in partnership with Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs). The funding is provided by my Department directly to local authorities, who in turn, advance the funding to the AHBs, as appropriate.
In respect of AHB funding in 2020 and 2021, the funding provided to each individual AHB is not readily available within my Department. Overall, for 2020 and 2021, €514 million and €624 million respectively was provided by my Department to the local authorities in respect of a range of AHB funded schemes.
In respect of homeless expenditure, my Department does not fund the operational costs associated with the provision of any homeless accommodation or services directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards the overall costs incurred in the provision of homeless accommodation. Housing authorities may also incur expenditure on homeless related services outside of the funding arrangements with my Department. Therefore, the amount of funding granted by housing authorities to individual homeless services is a matter for the relevant housing authority. Financial reports from each of the homeless regions, setting out expenditure on homeless services for 2016 - 2019 2021 are published on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/80ea8-homelessness-data/#local-authority-regional-financial-reports.
The Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) was formally established on 1 February 2021 and since 1 January 2022, the new authority is responsible for establishing and maintaining the register of AHBs and for registering organisation as AHBs. All existing 450 AHBs were automatically deemed to be registered with AHBRA as and from 1 January 2022.
