Vol. 543 No. 2
524 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government his views on the Dublin Simon Community annual review; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many local authority targets in regard to homelessness have not been met; and the structures and resources now in place to tackle this issue. [26734/01]
I have noted the annual review of the Dublin Simon Community, which outlines its programme of work with homeless persons in the Dublin area and highlights a number of proposals for desirable service improvement.
With regard to local authority targets on homelessness, local authorities, together with health boards and voluntary bodies, were asked, as part of the Government's homeless strategy, to prepare local action plans to tackle homelessness. The plans for the main urban areas have now been completed and plans for other areas are due to be completed shortly. This process will ensure a more systematic identification of targets and supporting measures designed to address homelessness.
The homeless action plan for Dublin, which was prepared earlier this year by the homeless agency, sets out a comprehensive range of measures to tackle homelessness in Dublin. It includes measures to prevent homelessness, to improve access to advice, information and referral services, to reduce street homelessness by two thirds, to improve emergency accommodation through the provision of additional hostel and refuge places, to improve settlement and outreach services to enable people move out of homelessness and to provide additional transitional and long-term housing accommodation. The plan also aims to improve access to mental health, counselling and support services, improve social welfare and community welfare services for homeless people, develop access to education, training and job opportunities and to research the causes of and solutions to homelessness in order to continually improve services.
The Dublin Simon Community, along with other voluntary bodies, participated in the preparation of the plan. The homeless agency has responsibility for the implementation of the plan, is currently overseeing the roll-out and delivery of the measures in plan and is co-ordinating the delivery of services to homeless persons by both statutory and voluntary bodies.
525 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if he will establish a fast track option for dealing with severe cases of homelessness. [26735/01]
The Government's homeless strategy, which was published in May 2000, identified a number of measures to be implemented by local authorities to deal with severe cases of homelessness, including the position of persons who have been homeless for long periods of time and those with alcohol or drug problems. These include the provision of additional transitional and long-term accommodation, together with settlement and outreach services, to enable homeless persons move out of emergency accommodation and into accommodation that is more suitable to their needs and the provision of high support accommodation for those with alcohol or drug problems.
The Dublin action plan, which has been prepared by the homeless agency, identifies a number of measures which address severe cases of homelessness including improved access to advice, information and referral services, improvements in settlement and outreach services to enable people move out of homelessness and additional transitional and long-term housing accommodation. The agency is currently developing and implementing the measures in the plan.
With regard to homeless persons with alcohol or drug problems, a £5 million special capital provision has been made available to Dublin Corporation for the provision of two high support hostels in Dublin for homeless people suffering from drug and alcohol addictions. Dublin Corporation has recently secured a site for a hostel to deal with homeless people with alcohol addictions and it is expected that this facility will be provided by the end of 2002. Dublin Corporation and the homeless agency are continuing to endeavour to secure a site for a second high support hostel.
