Arthur Morgan
Ceist:636 Mr. Morgan asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government the date by which he expects to have eliminated homelessness in this State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24919/03]
Written Answers. - Homeless Persons.
Seán Haughey
Ceist:677 Mr. Haughey asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government the measures he is taking to tackle the problem of homelessness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25168/03]
Minister of State at the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government (Mr. N. Ahern)
I propose to take Questions Nos. 636 and 677 together.
The Government is committed to addressing the issue of homelessness on a sustained basis, with the aim of eliminating the need for rough sleeping by the end of 2004 and providing adequate emergency and move-on accommodation and support services to enable homeless persons to achieve independent living as soon as possible within the resources available for the purpose. There has been substantial progress in achieving this aim since the publication of the Government's integrated and preventative strategies on homelessness. As part of the integrated strategy, local authorities, together with health boards and other statutory and voluntary bodies, are required to draw up local action plans to tackle homelessness. Virtually all of these plans have now been adopted by local authorities and health boards and work is well under way on implementing the measures contained in them.
A wide range of additional accommodation, ranging from emergency accommodation to long-term sheltered accommodation, has been provided to enable homeless persons to move out of emergency accommodation and into accommodation more suitable to their needs. Increased levels of day care facilities as well as specific provisions to meet the needs of people with addiction problems or who are sleeping rough, as well as homeless offenders, have been put in place. Further facilities will be provided as part of the full implementation of the homeless action plans with particular emphasis on the provision of move on accommodation to minimise the long-term use of both emergency and bed and breakfast accommodation.
Substantial additional funding has been made available to support the implementation of the homeless strategies. Capital funding for the direct provision by local authorities of accommodation for homeless persons is being doubled from €25.4 million to €50.8 million over the period 2001-05. Current funding for accommodation-related homeless services by local authorities has increased substantially from €12.6 million in 2000 to €50 million this year. Funding continues to be made available to the voluntary sector for the provision of accommodation for homeless persons under the Department's capital assistance scheme. With a view to ensuring that progress is made, the cross-Department team on homelessness continues to monitor the implementation of the homeless strategies and a review of the strategies will be initiated by the end of 2003.