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Dáil

Written answer

Homeless Accommodation

Summary

The Minister referred accommodation numbers and costs to Dublin’s local authorities, coordinated by the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive, with regional financial reports published online.

375. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to provide a list of the emergency accommodation centres for homeless people in Dublin; the number of places in each; the cost of running each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67161/26]

Comment on this
James Browne Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Fianna Fáil

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 homeless services rests with individual housing authorities. Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988 sets out the purposes for which costs may be incurred by housing authorities in respect of the provision of homeless accommodation and related services.

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, with nine administrative regions in place. 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. The Dublin Regional Homeless Executive provides a shared service on behalf of the four local authorities in the Dublin region, with Dublin City Council as the lead authority.

My 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 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 including emergency accommodation, the amounts paid to private operators, 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.

Financial reports from each of the homeless regions setting out the detail of homeless services funded through Section 10, including emergency accommodation centres in Dublin and related services, are published on my Department's website at the following link: www.housing.gov.ie/housing/homelessness/other/homelessness-data.

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