The number of homeless people in Louth and the north east continues to climb, with 185 people accessing emergency accommodation in this region, 163 of them are in Louth. Along with investment in housing, we must further invest in our homeless charities through both Government and local authority supports. Homeless charities have picked up the pieces where insufficient Government funding has failed, providing crucial services to the community.

For example, the Save our Homeless Dundalk charity is dedicated to helping people who are experiencing homelessness and aiding people and families who are experiencing financial hardship. It does amazing work within my constituency yet it is dependent on the generosity of the public and local businesses to do its work. Three in ten charities, 31%, did not receive any State funding in 2021. Over half of these charities has an annual income of less than €50,000 and 72% are volunteers only, meaning that they have no paid staff.

Pobal administers and manages Government and EU funding through the community service programme to address disadvantage and to support social inclusion and equality. It currently supports 400 charities in the Republic. This is commendable but the number of charities is growing to meet the growing needs of our people.

This year, after a lengthy community service programme application process by 197 charities, those volunteers jumped through the hoops to make the application. Less than half successfully progressed to the second stage, which means that only a handful charities will likely access much needed wage funding for the first time. There is an urgent need to provide adequate an sustainable multi-annual funding to the homelessness sector. This funding should reflect the full cost of service delivery, including wage funding for charity management and governance management, as well as flexible funding to meet increasing needs and inflation. Wage funding is important because in 2022, 648,000 people volunteered with an Irish charity and contributed at least €1 billion worth of time. About 76,000 people volunteered also as charity trustees and are directly responsible for overseeing the operation and governance of a charity.

With an expectation that every euro raised should go into the delivery of frontline services, this puts board members at a serious disadvantage, especially with regard to time and resources when it comes to regulatory, governance and compliance requirements. There are no supports to maintain such governance skill sets and, on top of this, charities often hold no reserve or carry unfunded deficits from one year to the next.

Will the Minister recognise the centrality of funding concerns across the community and voluntary sector with the precarious financial situation in various charity organisations? There is an urgent need to provide adequate and sustainable multi-annual funding to the homelessness sector reflecting the full cost of delivery, including wage funds and inflation.

I thank Deputy Fitzpatrick very much and I join with him and take the opportunity to thank all of the volunteers who work with homeless charities and the services they provide. We thank them for their work. They provide a very valuable service and support.

When it comes to public funding and the State's response to homelessness, it is important that we ensure there is proper co-ordination of the response of different bodies which are operating throughout the country. While responsibility for the provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities, the administration of homeless services is organised on a regional basis throughout the country. We have nine administrative regions currently in place and County Louth is included in the north-east region for the purpose of homelessness administration, with Louth County Council designated as the lead authority for the region. If there are particular charities which feel they should be getting some or more support from the State, it is best that that case be made through the relevant administrative region which is in place. In the case of the Deputy's own county, his own local authority is the designated body in that respect.

In overall terms, the budget a few weeks ago provided funding of €242 million to be made available for the delivery of homeless services in 2024. That is a 12% increase on 2023. It will ensure that local authorities can provide essential emergency accommodation, homeless prevention, and tenancy sustainment services also, including Housing First, which I know has been very successful. I have seen many examples of it myself in practice. Other services are provided to households experiencing or, indeed, who are at risk of homelessness and that work is so important.

The total number in emergency accommodation in Deputy Fitzpatrick's own north-east region is 185 adults, with 34 families and 83 children. During the third quarter of this year, a total of 41 households exited emergency accommodation in County Louth, which is an increase of 95% exiting homelessness on the previous quarter. During the same period 40 households were prevented from entering emergency accommodation by way of a tenancy being created, which is an increase of 25% on the previous quarter. Much good work is being done by the local authority and indeed by the other homeless service providers in the region and I want to acknowledge that work and thank them for it.

If we can improve on the services, on the level of co-ordination, or on the level of support available for those who are on the front line engaging with homeless people, then I am sure that the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, will be very open to that proposal.

It is not the first time I have said to the Minister that I have good time for him. He listens to people and he does react. He came to County Louth last week over the flooding. I am a wee bit concerned with the Minister's answers. I thought, perhaps, that he might give me more of a personal answer.

We have Save our Homeless Dundalk doing an absolutely fantastic job and I will put my hands up to say that the homelessness section in Louth County Council is also doing a fantastic job. We have concerns. I ask the Minister the following questions. How are charities supposed to meet the very high bar set by the charity regulator in terms of governance and compliance reliance, as well as combat the rise in demand, if the funding for staff and resources is not there? How are volunteers to engage and assist people in financial poverty if the charity holds no reserves, or how can it carry unfunded deficits from one year to another? How are charities to help people get back to work via the community employment schemes?

I know first-hand the number of homeless people who come into me. These are people who fell on bad times. Only for the likes of the Save our Homeless Dundalk charity and Louth County Council we would have serious problems.

Would the Minister consider coming to Dundalk to meet our Save our Homeless Dundalk people and he can then see the amount of work that they are doing? We are not looking for big money. Most of these people are volunteers and all they are looking for is some kind of assistance from the Government. One more time, I ask the Minister please to come to Dundalk and have a look at the Save our Homeless Dundalk charity. I would be delighted to show him what a fantastic job it is doing.

I thank Deputy Fitzpatrick. That is an invitation the Minister cannot refuse.

I thank the Deputy.

Is it Yes or No, Minister?

I should give the line Minister the opportunity to visit first.

The Deputy will put petrol in the tank for the Minister.

I have good time for the Minister but I am asking him will he come to Dundalk.

I am sure the Minister, Deputy O'Brien, will come.

Is that a No or a Yes?

I think the Deputy and myself should have a chat off-line with regard to the organisation he has referred to, Save our Homeless Dundalk. The information I have is that there is not any record of an application for funding. Certainly, the Department is not aware of any application for funding so perhaps we can engage off-line. I will be happy to discuss it with the Deputy and to provide any assistance that I can.

On the broader issue, I know it is not related to the organisation the Deputy has mentioned, but we can all agree on the importance of good governance and good financial controls wherever people in organisations are engaging with very vulnerable people and where taxpayers' money is being used. I know that has no relation to the organisation mentioned by the Deputy. I would be happy to discuss the issue with the Deputy off-line and to be of whatever assistance we can to him.