Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 March 2024
687. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total number of supported housing units funded by his Department to date; the number funded through funding streams (details supplied); and if the information on the total number of such units is not available, the units funded for each year from 2016 to 2023, in tabular form. [12928/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual local authorities.
My Department does not fund any homeless service directly but provides funding to local authorities towards the operational costs of homeless accommodation and related services including emergency accommodation under Section 10 of the Housing Act, 1988. While responsibility for the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual local authorities, the administration of homeless services is organised on a regional basis with a lead authority in place for each region. A homelessness consultative forum has been established in each of the nine homeless regions in accordance with Chapter 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009. Decisions on the range of emergency accommodation services and funding required in each region are a matter for individual local authorities in consultation with the Management Group of the relevant regional joint Homelessness Consultative Forum.
The Department does not hold information in relation to the number of supported housing units being funded through Section 10, this is an operational matter for local authorities.
Housing First
Housing First enables people who may have been homeless and who have high levels of complex needs to obtain permanent secure accommodation with the provision of intensive supports to help them maintain their tenancies. This is done through the provision of permanent secure accommodation with ongoing intensive supports to help people maintain their tenancies. This support is time unlimited and provided for as long as required.
The Housing First National Implementation Plan 2022-2026, published in December 2021, is designed to provide this response, by delivering permanent housing solutions and associated supports for rough sleepers and long-term users of emergency accommodation. The plan contains targets for each local authority, with an overall national target of 1,319 tenancies to be delivered by 2026.
560 tenancies have been created thus far under the current Plan. 979 individuals are currently in a Housing First tenancy. The table below outlines the number of tenancies created each year since 2016.
|
Year |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
|
Total |
34 |
106 |
92 |
189 |
241 |
234 |
240 |
320 |
