merrion street

Mr Simon Coveney T.D., Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, today (23 November 2016), highlighted the arrangements that are in place in Dublin under the Cold Weather Plan for homeless people.

“The Dublin Region Cold Weather Plan commenced operation at the start of the month and will be subject to on-going review. This time of year can be very difficult for rough sleepers as the temperatures can dip very quickly. The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) has a comprehensive plan in place. This annual proactive measure is undertaken each year as winter approaches with the emphasis to have a variety of additional options for people who generally do not / or cannot avail of existing services,” said Minister Coveney.

The plan involves the following key elements under the headings of a) co-ordination, b) enhanced accommodation and supports and c) ongoing monitoring. The DRHE has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the cold weather action plan from an operational perspective and a range of stakeholders are central to the operational of the plan.

Further detail on Dublin’s homeless services and how they operate can be viewed via the following internet links.
http://www.homelessdublin.ie/homeless


“Currently the DRHE are in the process of making preparations to open additional facilities to accommodate rough sleepers. 210 beds will be provided in Dublin. It is essential that we have sufficient beds to meet any increased demand during cold weather. In addition to this the Civil Defence will provide an additional 20 beds as a response to extreme cold weather, ” added Minister Coveney.


This will increase the nightly emergency accommodation capacity for single adults in Dublin (i.e. no child dependents) to a minimum of 1,800 bed spaces.
Enhanced accommodation and supports

Provision type Number of beds/units Comment
Additional Temporary emergency night shelters

&



Additional NGO Capacity 210 ADDITIONAL beds will be implemented this winter for singles and couples. subject to daily review via DRHE and service providers [esp. LA placement svcs & Housing First Intake Team]


Note - a further 20 emergency beds additional to the above are currently being implemented. Emergency beds will increase in accordance with daily monitoring and based on evidence of need via the local authority placement teams and the Housing First Intake Team. 3x City centre locations
Provision for male, female and couples
Supports will be provided by NGO following expression of interest process.
DCC will have full overall operational responsibility.
Will cover the winter period only : prioritising most vulnerable rough sleepers.
NGO providers are providing additional capacity for people sleeping rough via existing supported temporary accommodation & Long Term Supported accommodation settings. This is a temporary winter initiative which involves maximising all existing space within these facilities (e.g. camp beds, etc).
Shelter for Extreme Weather Conditions 20 beds Civil Defence, Wolfetone Quay
Shelter will only operate if/when temperature is predicted to go below zero for three consecutive nights

The following already established supports remain in place as follows:

The Merchants Quay Nite Café also remains operational and provides 65 spaces on a night to night basis for persons sleeping rough who have not been accommodated or whom choose not to enter existing supported accommodation programmes
The Housing First Intake Team which provides assertive engagement with people sleeping rough in the Dublin region (this team has access to transport for vulnerable rough sleepers that need transport assistance) The hours of operation of this service have been extended to 1am throughout winter period.
· Garda Liaison Protocol for the Dublin Region: This protocol improves communication & coordination between Gardai, DRHE, the Central Placement Service and Housing First, with a view to improving outcomes for people who may be rough sleeping.
Access to emergency beds can be made through the Homeless Freephone on 1800 707 707.

“As a Government we must continue to do everything in our power to assist those families or individuals who are experiencing homelessness. The ultimate solution to homeless is the provision of a home and under Rebuilding Ireland we have a number of actions to increase the supply of both social and private homes.”


ENDS



Note to Editors. Rebuilding Ireland

· The long-term solution to the challenge of homelessness is to increase the supply of homes as envisioned under Rebuilding Ireland: An Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness.

· In particular Rebuilding Ireland provides for early solutions to address the unacceptable level of families in emergency accommodation:
ü 1,500 rapid-build units
ü 1,600 vacant units sourced by the Housing Agency
ü Expanded HAP Homeless Tenancies – 550 in 2016 and 1,200 in 2017.

· The ‘Rapid Build’ programme has been extended under Rebuilding Ireland to deliver 1,500 units by the end of 2018. Approximately 350 rapid build units are advancing or will be on site by end 2016 and a further 650 rapid build units will be initiated and delivered in 2017. The target for 2018 is 500.

· The Housing Agency will acquire 1,600 vacant housing units over the period to 2020. The Housing Agency will be directly funded with €70 million in capital Exchequer funding to find and acquire suitable portfolios of vacant properties for social housing, including homeless families, directly from financial institutions and investors.

· The Homeless Pilot of the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme has been operational since February 2015 across the four housing authorities in the Dublin Region, and is being implemented through the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE). The pilot is designed to transition qualified households from emergency accommodation into private rented tenancies. To date in 2016 650 HAP tenancies have been created for homeless households in the Dublin Region; the 2016 target (550 tenancies) has been surpassed.


· The prevalence of homeless families and the use of hotels for emergency accommodation is a much more significant issue in the Dublin Region than it is in the rest of the country – approximately 90% of homeless families are in the Dublin Region. Rebuilding Ireland envisions moving the existing group of families out of these hotel arrangements as quickly as possible and, by mid-2017 hotels will only be used as emergency accommodation in exceptional circumstances.

· A total of 127 rough sleepers were identified nationally on a single night - Census Night, 24 April 2016 - the recorded individuals were in: Cork (8), Dublin (102), Galway (13), Limerick (2) and Sligo (2). The official rough sleeper count is the accepted methodology across all the various stakeholders. The next official count will be held this week (Note: will be held tonight – 22nd November).

· Additional emergency accommodation will be brought on stream in the Dublin Region during the winter months. A number of projects are being advanced at the moment which will see over 200 additional bed spaces provided for rough sleepers.

· Given that Dublin Region Homeless Executive currently estimate there to be in the region of 115 rough sleepers the additional bed spaces, coupled with the enhanced housing first programme, will be enough to cater for all those currently rough sleeping while allowing for additional capacity.

· Through housing-led initiatives permanent, stable and supported housing will be provided to long-term homeless individuals, thus reducing the reliance on emergency accommodation over time. The target for secure tenancies to be delivered under the Dublin Region ‘housing-first’ initiative has been tripled under the Action Plan from 100 to 300. A Focus Ireland – McVerry Trust consortium is tasked with delivering this programme.

· Housing authorities have assisted more than 1,350 sustainable exits from homelessness into independent tenancies in the first half of 2016. This is a record level of exits from homelessness in a six-month period (in 2015 a total of 2,322 sustainable exits were achieved, while the 2014 figure was 2,161) and is testament to the good work being done by housing authorities to address homelessness in the context of a reduced level of housing supply. It is anticipated that this year some 2,700 exits from homelessness will be achieved.