My 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 homeless services rests with individual housing authorities.
My Department does not fund any homeless service directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services under Section 10 of the Housing Act, 1988. Under Exchequer funding arrangements, housing authorities must provide at least 10% of the cost of services from their own resources. Furthermore, housing authorities may also incur additional expenditure on homeless related services outside of the Exchequer funding arrangements provided by my Department. Therefore, the exact amounts spent by housing authorities on homeless services, as well as the type and operation of homeless services including details of service providers are a matter for individual housing authorities in consultation with the Management Group of the relevant regional joint Homelessness Consultative Forum.
Exchequer funding for homeless services is provided through my Department to housing authorities on a regional basis. Exchequer funding recouped to housing authorities by my Department for the years 2021 and 2022 to date is set out in the table below;
Region
|
2021 €
|
2022 (to date) €
|
Dublin (Dublin City)
|
172,906,426
|
107,969,483
|
Mid East (Kildare Co Co)
|
7,452,871
|
6,586,750
|
Midland (Westmeath Co Co)
|
2,408,500
|
1,861,655
|
Mid West (Limerick City)
|
8,222,913
|
6,487,756
|
North East (Louth Co Co)
|
2,713,679
|
1,502,430
|
North West (Sligo Co Co)
|
936,000
|
847,500
|
South East (Waterford City)
|
4,291,134
|
3,841,513
|
South West (Cork City)
|
15,836,120
|
9,756,939
|
West (Galway City)
|
8,731,955
|
5,905,048
|
Total
|
223,499,598
|
144,759,076
|
Financial reports from each of the regional fora, setting out total expenditure on homeless services including those services provided through the non-government sector and private emergency accommodation are published on my Department’s website at the following link: www.housing.gov.ie/housing/homelessness/other/homelessness-data.