Seán Haughey
Ceist:548 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for Health and Children the measures being taken to tackle homelessness in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1126/01]
Written Answers. - Homeless Persons.
On 2 May last, Deputy Molloy, Minister of State at the Department of the Environment and Local Government with special responsibility for housing, launched a Government strategy for the adult homeless, Homelessness – An Integrated Strategy. The strategy requires each health board to carry out an assessment of the needs of the homeless in its functional area.
Each health board will examine its range of responses to the health and personal social service needs of homeless persons in consultation with the homeless forum in the area and draw up an action plan for meeting such needs. Officials in my Department are currently preparing comprehensive guidelines to assist the health boards in drawing up these action plans. It is also recognised in Homelessness – An Integrated Strategy, that those leaving institutional care, be it custodial or health related, are one of the principal groups at risk of becoming homeless. My Department is also developing a strategy aimed at preventing homelessness among those at risk which will be published shortly.
With regard to the Dublin area, the Eastern Regional Health Authority, ERHA, has recently appointed a director of homelessness who is working closely with the three area health boards in implementing the strategy Homelessness – An Integrated Strategy. This strategy calls for the further development of partnership working through participation and active involvement in the board of the new Homeless Agency that will oversee the implementation of an action plan to significantly impact and reduce the level of adult homelessness.
Specifically, the work of the three area health boards will include:–
the appointment of area co-ordinators who will be responsible for the implementation of the health and care aspects of the action plan;
better take up of medical cards for those who are homeless;
the establishment of two multi-disciplinary teams whose composition will include nurses, doctors, community welfare officers, social workers, care attendants, community psychiatric nurses and outreach drug workers who will connect with and support homeless people quickly and effectively and link them into mainstream services;
training of staff in homeless services;
the provision of a dedicated dental service for homeless people;
improved discharge procedures for people who are homeless;
improved mental health services for people who are homeless;
improved access to addiction services for homeless people including those who have alcohol problems.
The proposed action plan detailing the work in the above areas includes time scales for each of the main work areas.
With regard to youth homelessness, the ERHA and the three area health boards in the eastern region have, over the last four months, been putting in place a wide range of preventive, emergency care and after care services for children and young people who are out-of-home. The objective is to ensure that where possible children and their families are supported to enable young people to remain at home and where this is not possible that easily accessible services are provided so that children are safe and supported and where appropriate returned home.
To drive this process, the ERHA has appointed an assistant chief executive for child care and youth homelessness within its three area health boards. Very significant progress has been made regarding youth homelessness in the ERHA area, as follows: properties have been acquired to provide additional emergency, downstream and aftercare residential accommodation; outreach services are being expanded and restructured to ensure that vulnerable young people are made aware of the new facilities, encouraged to avail of them and that they do not fall through the net; the new residential accommodation will be managed in such a way that outreach workers are clearly aware at all times of the centres in which the most appropriate accommodation is available; and there will be clear protocols for access to and management of beds.
A wide range of preventative projects such as springboard, family resource centres and community projects will be expanded. A providers forum on youth homelessness has been established and is chaired by the recently appointed director of homelessness and is working with the authority on implementing the recommendations in the youth homelessness report. This forum has wide representations from service providers both across the voluntary and statutory sector who are involved in working with young people out of home. New developments for young people who are abusing drugs are also part of the package of measures taking place to improve and expand the services to young people who are homeless.