My Department has a protocol in place for payments to homeless customers and staff make every effort to assist persons who are homeless so that they can avail of the Department’s services and income supports.
A person may apply for a social welfare payment even if they have no permanent address. An immediate payment may be issued under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme and can be paid when a person presents without a permanent address. This means tested scheme is considered to be a ‘safety net’ within the overall social welfare system in that it provides immediate assistance to eligible people whose means are insufficient to meet their needs.
Homeless customers are advised to register with their Local Authority and to engage with the relevant services available to them, for example, the Homeless Action Team/Housing Assistance Payment Section.
In addition, the Department has a Customer Charter 2020-2022 which sets out what people can expect when they make contact with us and details our commitments to all our customers who wish to access our services.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.