Dublin City Council will take lead role in providing client-driven services and independent housing instead of emergency accommodation
The Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government, Phil Hogan TD today (22.11.11) 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 Programme for Government committed to reviewing and updating the current homeless strategy and to adopting a ‘housing led’ approach to homelessness. 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 over reliance on emergency accommodation provision to a more permanent accommodation solution will be achieved through a number of policy measures including:
1. Directly linking the provision of funding with specific targets and outcomes;
2. The establishment of Homeless Action Teams across the region.
3. Making better use of the existing available accommodation units in the local authorities and in the voluntary sector;
4. Additional social housing provision through acquisitions and remedial works/upgrading of vacant local authority housing stock and a leasing programme;
5. Discussions with NAMA to discuss possibility of securing properties without significant state funding;
6. Targeted use of the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS);
7. Enhanced role of the private rental sector;
8. 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 9th 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."
"Deputy Penrose, the former Minister for Housing & Planning and I identified tackling the homeless problem as a priority for the Department as soon as we took office. A number of reviews have taken place over the last couple of years and have concluded that insufficient progress has been made in the implementation of the Dublin Region Homeless Action Plan since 2009. We now need to take decisive action and tackle the homeless problem in a more planned, efficient and strategic way. Our goal is to provide the necessary supports to help homeless people and families lead more independent lives."
"The focus to date has been on providing emergency accommodation in hostels and B&Bs and this approach doesn’t address the long-term problem."
"The Irish people have a reputation all over the world for their generosity in humanitarian aid yet on our own streets and in doorways we continue to see people who are in dire need of assistance. I will reset policy to ensure that the focus is firmly fixed on finding a long-term solution which is client-led for those that need it most. The Department and I can not do this alone. I therefore urge all of the stakeholders: the local authorities; statutory agencies and the voluntary service to work with us so that, together, we can provide social housing and targeted supports to help homeless people overcome the obstacles and barriers they face in finding long-term housing outcomes."
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. The Government looks forward to the continuing co-operation of local authorities, statutory agencies and voluntary service providers in tackling homelessness, ensuring that resettlement is the underlying imperative in service delivery and in ending the long term occupation of emergency facilities.