Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 2 February 2012
37 Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will report on the implementation of The Way Home, the national homeless strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5723/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra43 Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the timeframe envisaged for the review and renewal of the strategy to end homelessness. [5911/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra58 Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to set a new deadline for the ending of long-term homelessness. [5916/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra59 Deputy Dessie Ellis asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to set a new deadline for the ending of long-term homelessness. [5910/12]
Amharc ar fhreagra60 Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the timeframe envisaged for the review and renewal of the strategy to end homelessness. [5917/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 37, 43 and 58 to 60, inclusive, together.
The Programme for Government commits to reviewing and updating the current homeless strategy and to adopting a "housing-led" approach to homelessness. Work now under way on updating the strategy is almost complete and will involve the establishment of clear performance targets and associated timelines. Targets should not be simply aspirational but should be realistic, measurable and achievable. A particular emphasis will necessarily be on the delivery of accommodation units for homeless persons through the policy approach outlined in the Housing Policy Statement of June 2011.
Although it is regrettable that we did not reach the target of ending long term homelessness by the end of 2010, as envisaged by the current homeless strategy, the commitment remains as strong as ever and I am ensuring it continues to be a priority in 2012. However, much progress has been made in otherwise implementing the strategy including inter alia:
the publication of a detailed Implementation Plan in April 2009, which set out a range of priority actions to be undertaken to deliver on the six strategic aims of the Strategy;
new legislative provisions in the Housing Act 2009 that came into force on 1 February 2010, which put Homelessness Fora and Homelessness Action Plans on a statutory basis and are now being implemented at regional and local level;
the adoption in 2010 by the 34 City and County Councils of their statutory Homelessness Action Plans;
annual provision of current funding to provide for sufficient bed capacity to accommodate all those in need of emergency accommodation nationwide and to deliver on the commitment to eliminate the need for persons to involuntarily sleep rough;
the ongoing reconfiguration of existing emergency or transitional homeless facilities to provide a substantial number of secure long-term tenancies for homeless persons;
the development of a scheme, Support to Live Independently, to provide visiting supports for persons leaving homelessness which assists people progress from homelessness to independent living in mainstream housing and forms an important element of follow up action to end long term homelessness, by co-ordinating appropriate tenancy and other supports to meet each individuals needs in their local community setting; and
the new homelessness on-line data and bed management system PASS which is now operational in Dublin and to be rolled out nationally this year.
The National Implementation Plan for the Homeless Strategy also provides for the development of a more devolved allocation-based system for the provision of accommodation-related funding to housing authorities with emphasis on increased decision making at local level, in lieu of the existing individual project based arrangements, to improve overall efficiency, value for money and greater local decision making in homeless services.
A Protocol which sets outs arrangements and responsibilities for delegation of Section 10, Housing Act, 1988 funding between the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government and Dublin City Council in relation to the provision of ongoing revenue funding for homeless accommodation and related service costs has already being put in place in the Dublin region beginning 1 January 2012 and will be rolled out nationally to the other regions at the earliest opportunity.
