Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
667. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will report on the funding allocated to the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022-2027 in budget 2022. [40338/22]
View answerI launched a new joint National Housing Strategy for Disabled People (NHSDP) 2022-2027 on 14 January 2022, together with my colleagues Minister of State Peter Burke, and Minister of State Anne Rabbitte, which is available on the following link:
www.gov.ie/en/publication/60d76-national-housing-strategy-for-disabled-people-2022-2027/.
The new Strategy sets out the vision for the cooperation and collaboration of Government Departments, state agencies and others in delivering housing and the related supports for disabled people over the next five years. This new Strategy will operate within the framework of Housing for All – A New Housing Plan for Ireland which is committed to ensuring that affordable, quality housing with an appropriate mix of housing design types provided within social housing, including universally designed units, is available to everyone in Irish society, including those with disabilities.
Housing developments for disabled people are funded from a number of different streams within my Department’s overall €4 billion capital envelope. My Department supports local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to acquire social housing homes through a number of funding programmes. The Social Housing Investment Programme and Capital Assistance Scheme allow local authorities and AHBs to recoup 100% of acquisition costs.
€96m of capital funding has been committed in Budget 2022 for the Capital Assistance Scheme. This funding will be provided to AHBs for the further development of housing for priority categories of housing need, including people with a disability, and decongregation from institutions for persons with intellectual disabilities.
The Capital Advance Leasing Facility funding is capital support provided to AHBs by local authorities to facilitate the funding of construction, acquisition or refurbishment of new social housing units. This loan facility can support up to 30% of the eligible capital cost of the housing project, with the housing units provided to local authorities for social housing use under long-term lease arrangements known as Payment and Availability Agreements.
In addition to the Exchequer funding available for development of housing, in 2022, my Department approved funding of €457,500 for both the development of, and commitments arising from, the NHSDP. €325,000 is allocated specifically for the provision of Mental Health Tenancy Sustainment Officers (MHTSO). MHTSO work with local authorities and AHBs to support people with psychosocial or mental health difficulties to sustain their tenancies and prevent homelessness. The balance of funding includes provision for the implementation and publication of the NHSDP, information campaigns and training, including accessible information and documentation.
My Department also provides funding under three separate schemes for necessary adaptations, repairs or improvement works to the houses of disabled people and older people in order to make their accommodation more suitable for their needs, and to facilitate the continued occupancy of their own home for as long as possible. Funding for these schemes of €81.25 million is available nationally in 2022 which is an increase of €6.25 million on the 2021 provision of €75 million, continuing the year on year increases since 2014.
