In the Dublin Region, the Dublin Region Homeless Executive operates across the four housing authorities, as a shared service to coordinate on homeless issues from a housing authority perspective and to liaise with the other stakeholders and partner organisations. Furthermore, I recently established a new Homelessness Inter-Agency Group, chaired by a former Secretary General, to examine how homeless services might be delivered in a more coherent and joined-up way across the various Government departments and agencies.
Government policy on homelessness recognises the provision of long-term secure housing, with support as needed to ensure sustainable tenancies, as the key solution to ending homelessness.
While all homeless people have a need for stable housing, homelessness is a complex issue and a variety of other supports and interventions can be required to meet individual needs. Indeed, many homeless persons, in particular those engaged in rough sleeping, have complex health and social care needs, including in relation to addiction and mental health issues, that require care and supports beyond the simple provision of accommodation via the housing authority. Consequently a multi-agency approach is considered necessary to successfully address rough sleeping. The work of the new Homeless Inter-Agency Group, which I established, will be key in supporting this approach.
Housing-led initiatives are critical in this regard, providing direct access to housing and to the intensive health, addiction and personal supports required for people who are homeless and have complex needs to maintain their tenancies. Arising from last September’s Housing Summit, I indicated that a National Director of Housing First, with specialist expertise, would be appointed and that the housing first approach would be expanded beyond Dublin to the other main urban areas. The recruitment process for that position is now underway and the newly appointed Director of Housing First will be responsible for:
- coordinating and driving a national, cross-Government housing-led approach to homelessness;
- supporting regional and local delivery of housing-led approaches; and
- overseeing the achievement of the housing-led targets in Rebuilding Ireland.
