Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 May 2023
440. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the estimated cost of providing family hubs for the 1,639 families currently accessing emergency homeless accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24800/23]
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 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.
A homelessness consultative forum has been established in each of the nine homeless regions in accordance with Chapter 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009. Decisions on the range of emergency accommodation services and funding required in each region are a matter for individual housing authorities in consultation with the Management Group of the relevant regional joint Homelessness Consultative Forum. It is a matter for the Management Group to bring forward proposals including for family hub facilities to my Department that meet the needs of homeless individuals in their administrative area, and the funding requirements will be considered in this context.
Financial reports from each of the homeless regions, setting out total expenditure on homeless services including on family hub facilities are published on my Department's website at the following link; www.housing.gov.ie/housing/homelessness/other/homelessness-data.
I have continued to assure housing authorities that funding for all required homeless services, including the provision of emergency accommodation, will be provided this year.
