merrion street

Environment Minister Phil Hogan has announced the new direction for the delivery of services for people experiencing homelessness. The Minister’s new approach will see ‘the money follow the client’, where the provision of funding will be linked directly to specific targets and outcomes. This will allow service providers to focus on the delivery of independent accommodation for homeless people and families, resulting in a move away from the heavy dependence on emergency accommodation in hostels and private B&Bs.

The new pro-active approach announced by Minister Hogan will see Dublin City Council take greater operational responsibility for the homeless in the greater Dublin area. A specialist unit will be primarily responsible for the implementation of the Dublin Region Homeless Action Plan which will now be target driven, outputs will be directly linked to the provision of funding. Its priority will be to assist and support the homeless according to their individual needs, and to help them access independent accommodation. This shift in emphasis away from the current policy will be achieved through a number of measures including:

• Directly linking the provision of funding with specific targets and outcomes;

• The establishment of Homeless Action Teams across the region.

• Making better use of the existing available accommodation units in the local authorities and in the voluntary sector;

• Additional social housing provision through acquisitions and remedial works/upgrading of vacant local authority housing stock and a leasing programme;

• Discussions with NAMA to discuss possibility of securing properties without significant state funding;

• Targeted use of the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS);

• Enhanced role of the private rental sector;

• Better co-ordination with the voluntary and cooperative housing sector.

The Dublin City Council, as lead authority for the Dublin region, will produce a detailed operational plan with agreed targets and outcomes before the end of the year which will quantify the number of accommodation units required and the suite of options on how these units can be delivered.

Minister Hogan said:

This Government is committed to protecting the most vulnerable in our society. The outcome of the ‘rough sleeper count’ indicated that there were still 87 people sleeping rough on our streets on the 9^th of November clearly demonstrates that the current strategy of dealing with the problem of homelessness is failing us and is not delivering the necessary results.

The new approach is being piloted in the Dublin region first where homeless numbers are most acute. The approach outlined will be closely monitored and reviewed with a view to roll out across the country.