What’s new in the Government’s plan to tackle homelessness?

DUBLIN City Council and the Dublin Region Homeless Executive have welcomed the commitments from the Government to address homelessness with specific focus on the expansion of the Housing Assistance Payment pilot for homeless households, the Rapid Build Programme and the Housing First Service.

All members of the Dublin Joint Homeless Consultative Forum will continue to work in partnership to support all the initiatives and deliver on the following key actions:

*€4 million to expand emergency accommodation in Dublin – 200 new emergency beds. Dublin City Council and the Dublin Region Homeless Executive will be increasing the number of emergency accommodation beds in the Dublin region over the coming months.

*1500 Rapid Build Units by the end of 2018 – the expansion of this programme will ensure that families are moved directly out of commercial hotels and into more suitable accommodation.

*Housing Assistance Payment Pilot for homeless households will be expanded over 2016 and 2017. A total of 550 tenancies will be secured by the end of 2016 and a further 1,200 will be created in 2017.

*Housing First Service to expand to 300 tenancies, specifically targeting rough sleepers across the Dublin Region. The HSE will increase their funding to provide health, mental health and addiction supports to rough sleepers and individuals accessing emergency accommodation.

*Travel and childcare supports for families currently in hotel accommodation.

*Quality standards in emergency accommodation and the use of assertive engagement to reduce rough sleeping in Dublin.

The Dublin Region Homeless Executive is provided by Dublin City Council as the lead statutory authority in response to homelessness in Dublin. It adopts a shared service approach across South Dublin County Council, Fingal County Council and Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council.