Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 February 2023
147. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage further to Parliamentary Question No. 16 of 11 November 2021, the financial proposals that his Department received from Clare County Council to meet the needs of homeless individuals from 2022 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5603/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department does not fund any homeless service directly but provides funding to housing authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services under Section 10 of the Housing Act, 1988. Under Exchequer funding arrangements, housing authorities must provide at least 10% of the cost of services from their own resources. Furthermore, housing authorities may also incur additional expenditure on homeless related services outside of the Exchequer funding arrangements provided by my Department. Therefore, the exact amounts spent by housing authorities on homeless services, as well as the type and operation of homeless services are a matter for individual housing authorities in consultation with the Management Group of the relevant regional joint Homelessness Consultative Forum.
In 2022, the total Exchequer funding provided by my Department to the Mid-West Region, which includes Clare County Council was €10 million. Some €1.7 million has been provided to date in 2023.
Financial reports from each of the nine homeless regions, including the Mid-West region, setting out total expenditure and details of homeless services in each region are published on my Department’s website at the following link: www.housing.gov.ie/housing/homelessness/other/homelessness-data .
Full year financial reports for 2022 are currently being examined and will be published shortly.
