Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 May 2018
599. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the amount of money spent on family hubs in 2017; the estimated amount in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22330/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra600. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government the number of recipients of family hubs in 2017; the estimated number in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22331/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 599 and 600 together.
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 associated services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities.
Family hubs offer family living arrangements with a greater level of stability than is possible in hotel accommodation, with the capacity to provide appropriate play-space, cooking and laundry facilities, communal recreation space, while move-on options to long-term independent tenancies are identified and secured.
There are currently 20 family hubs in operation (17 in Dublin, 2 in Limerick and 1 in Kildare) providing almost 500 units of family accommodation. My Department is working with local authorities to bring further facilities on stream in Dublin, Cork, Limerick and Galway.
Capital payments amounting to €14.2 million were made in respect of the then 18 operational hub facilities during 2017. The funding to be provided in 2018 will be dependent on the progress made by local authorities on the development of further family hubs over the rest of the year.
In relation to the operational funding for the family hubs, my Department provides funding to housing authorities on a regional basis towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services. Under the funding arrangements, housing authorities must provide at least 10% of the cost of services from their own resources. Housing authorities may also incur additional expenditure on homeless related services outside of the funding arrangements with my Department. Therefore, the exact amounts spent by housing authorities on homeless services, as well as the types of accommodation and the service providers engaged, are a matter for those authorities. Financial reports from each of the regions, setting out expenditure in each region, are published on my Department's website at the following link: http://www.housing.gov.ie/node/5498.
