Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 September 2023
533. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to outline the average current expenditure by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive in each year since 2005 of leasing or renting emergency accommodation to increase the provision of emergency homeless accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40417/23]
View answerMy 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.
While responsibility for the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual housing authorities, the administration of homeless services is organised on a regional basis with a lead authority in place for each region. A homelessness consultative forum has been established in each region in accordance with Chapter 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009. It is a matter for the management group of the consultative forum to determine the type and range of homeless services to address homelessness in each region. The exact amounts spent by housing authorities on homeless services, as well as the type and operation of emergency accommodation including expenditure on leasing or renting emergency accommodation is a matter for individual housing authorities in consultation with the Management Group of the relevant regional joint Homelessness Consultative Forum.
Financial reports from each of the homeless regions including the Dublin region, setting out total expenditure on homeless services including on emergency accommodation are published on my Department's website at the following link;
www.housing.gov.ie/housing/homelessness/other/homelessness-data.
