My Department's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. The purposes for which housing authorities may incur expenditure in addressing homelessness are prescribed in Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988. Housing authorities provide additional funding from their own resources.
My Department does not fund any service directly but provides funding to lead housing authorities on a regional basis. Details of the 'Section 10' Exchequer funding provided by my Department to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services are set out in the table below on a regional basis for the years 2009 to 2014. The 2015 regional allocations are currently being finalised with a view to their confirmation shortly.
Funding Provided under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988
|
Region
|
2009
|
2010
|
2011
|
2012
|
2013
|
2014
|
|
Dublin
|
€38,967,542
|
€40,521,375
|
€35,732,525
|
€32,398,290
|
€31,322,223
|
€35,322,223
|
|
Mid-East
|
€885,801
|
€906,842
|
€697,665
|
€839,146
|
€811,275
|
€928,489
|
|
Midlands
|
€872,375
|
€666,344
|
€624,897
|
€672,027
|
€649,707
|
€649,707
|
|
Mid-West
|
€4,110,166
|
€3,435,607
|
€2,905,457
|
€3,516,119
|
€3,399,336
|
€3,405,060
|
|
North-East
|
€1,197,45 1
|
€1,037,617
|
€912,250
|
€910,194
|
€879,963
|
€879,963
|
|
North-West
|
€444,206
|
€423,355
|
€406,335
|
€360,865
|
€348,879
|
€348,879
|
|
South-East
|
€1,945,79 2
|
€1,742,886
|
€2,110,476
|
€1,848,877
|
€1,787,469
|
€1,818,969
|
|
South-West
|
€5,458,211
|
€4,270,143
|
€3,505,749
|
€4,418,967
|
€4,272,197
|
€4,307,772
|
|
West
|
€2,175,312
|
€1,699,288
|
€1,227,696
|
€1,581,478
|
€1,528,951
|
€1,544,712
|
|
Total
|
€56,056,856
|
€54,703,457
|
€48,123,050
|
€46,545,963
|
€45,000,000
|
€49,205,774
|
While it is clear that a proportion of funding is used to provide sufficient bed capacity to accommodate those in need of emergency accommodation, it is equally important that resources are channelled to deliver more permanent responses in a more focused and strategic way. The arrangements that my Department put in place annually for delegating homelessness funding to the lead housing authority in each of the nine regions seek to ensure that the measures being pursued by housing authorities reflect the housing-led approach that is emphasised in the Government's Homelessness Policy Statement.
