QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Housing; Planning and Local Government the number of tenancies provided by housing first teams in Dublin in each of the years 2016 to 2018 and to date 2019.

REPLY

Housing First enables homeless individuals with high levels of complex needs to obtain permanent secure accommodation with the provision of intensive housing and health supports to help them maintain their tenancies.

The National Implementation Plan for Housing First, published in September 2018, which puts the programme on a national footing, is designed to provide this response, by delivering permanent housing solutions and associated supports for rough sleepers and long-term users of emergency accommodation. It extends the delivery of Housing First nationally, with the introduction of targets for each local authority. The Plan includes an overall target of 663 tenancies in the period 2018-2021.  The implementation of the Plan is a joint initiative of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Department of Health, the HSE and the local authorities.  

The Housing First programme has been operating in the Dublin region since 2014, following a successful pilot. A total of 34 tenancies were created in 2016, 106 tenancies in 2017, 83 tenancies in 2018 and 94 tenancies up to October 2019. 

Following a tendering process by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, the Peter McVerry Trust will operate this service to deliver a further 400 Housing First tenancies over the next three years. 

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Housing; Planning and Local Government the status of the housing procurement office within the Housing Agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY

Pillar 2 of Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness committed to the establishment of a Housing Procurement Unit within the Housing Agency to provide a procurement centre of excellence and advice to support local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies (ABHs) in the accelerated delivery of their social housing programmes. 

The unit forms part of the professional technical section within the Housing Agency which deals with projects, including the pyrite remediation scheme, and offers procurement advice and services to assist in the delivery of social housing.

The Procurement Unit works closely with the other services within the Agency and also works with my Department, the Office of Government Procurement (OGP), Irish Council for Social Housing, Local Government Management Agency, City and County Mangers Association, the Housing Finance Agency  and others to ensure that information and technical assistance provided is current, accurate, helpful and contributes to housing delivery.

 The Procurement Unit offers the following services:

• Provides procurement and project management advice and support for local      authorities and AHBs in the accelerated delivery of their social housing      programmes;
• Works with local authorities and AHBs to build their capacity and expertise;
• Co-ordinates and supports project development and project briefs, where requested by      local authorities and AHBs;
• Manages the design and tendering processes as required;
• Provides general guidance and advice on social housing delivery;
• Supports the accelerated delivery of social housing programmes.

To date, the unit has managed the tender and appointment of consultant design teams for Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 Approved Housing Bodies for over 30 housing projects in nine local authority areas. Each tender package was tailored for the specific needs of the client to ensure they get their required services within a procurement process carried out to best practice.

The unit has assisted in procuring design teams for a wide range of projects including a large inner city urban development,  refurbishment and conversion of existing buildings, a major 4-storey extension to a sheltered accommodation unit  and the conversion of a rural post-office into housing units.

The unit provides a continued technical service to local authorities and AHBs after the appointment of the design teams and remains available to answer queries and offer independent opinion on issues that may arise and on technical issues arising from the procurement process, irrespective of who carried out the procurement.

The unit is available to work with local authorities and AHBs in the procurement of both consultants and works contractors, with experience of establishing and operating all of the building works contracts within the Capital Works Management Framework (CWMF), including: Frameworks, Employer Design, Contractor Design, Minor Works under Pillar 1, and service agreements for consultancy services contracts under Pillar 2 of the CWMF.

The unit has also experience of alternative procurement processes including competitive dialogue, and has assisted the OGP in setting up frameworks.

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Housing; Planning and Local Government the status of a safety guidance and voluntary code for child safety in emergency accommodation.

REPLY

Supporting individuals and families experiencing homelessness is a priority for this Government. Rebuilding Ireland, the Government's Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness includes a range of measures relating to the provision of emergency accommodation and the range of supports to be provided to households experiencing homelessness.

Arising out of a commitment made in Rebuilding Ireland, a specific course on child protection was developed in partnership between the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) and Tusla.  The DRHE has been providing Child Protection training to Private Emergency Accommodation staff, which covers their legal responsibilities under child protection legislation, reviewing the reasonable grounds for concern and the thresholds for reporting and reporting concerns where appropriate.  Child protection booklets have been distributed to operators of private emergency accommodation.  Child safety is an integral element of the National Quality Standards Framework for Homeless Services, which is fully operational in Dublin and is being rolled out nationally over a 12-month period from 1 July 2019.  

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Housing; Planning and Local Government the status of free public transport to children in emergency accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY

Supporting individuals and families experiencing homelessness is a priority for this Government. Rebuilding Ireland, the Government's Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness includes a range of measures  relating to the provision of emergency accommodation and the range of supports to be provided to households experiencing homelessness.

Under Rebuilding Ireland, my Department is funding an initiative to provide homeless families residing in temporary emergency accommodation in the Dublin Region with access to free public transport for essential school journeys.  The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) oversees the implementation of this initiative and, working in partnership with the National Transport Authority, has put arrangements in place for the provision of Leap cards to the families concerned.  These Leap cards provide for free public transport for school-going children and accompanying adults, where necessary. 

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Housing; Planning and Local Government the status of specific policy and procedural guidance to housing authorities with regard to the role they can play to assist victims of domestic violence to secure new, independent tenancies as required.

REPLY

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 accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities.   Responsibility for the provision, funding and oversight of services to support victims of domestic violence, including refuges, rests with Tusla, the Child and Family Agency, under the aegis of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs.

In line with commitments made under Rebuilding Ireland, my Department issued guidance in January 2017 to all local authorities in relation to assisting victims of domestic violence with emergency and long-term accommodation needs.  The guidance is also a useful reference for service providers working in the domestic violence services sector, highlighting where they can be of greatest assistance to their clients, covering a range of scenarios that may arise for victims of domestic violence in seeking social housing supports.  These include provisions around the use of the Housing Assistance Payment scheme, or the Rental Accommodation Scheme, where a victim has a joint interest in the family home, or ownership of alternative accommodation, but would otherwise qualify for social housing support.  

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Housing; Planning and Local Government the status of the pilot project that will be introduced to support the family functioning of homeless families in emergency accommodation by providing off-site or near-site family time including play, homework, cooking and washing facilities, family support and parent support.

REPLY

Supporting families experiencing homelessness is a key priority of Government.    Rebuilding Ireland, the Government's Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, includes the objective that hotels will only be used in limited circumstances as emergency accommodation for families.  Rebuilding Ireland also sought to ensure that families experiencing homelessness are provided with appropriate emergency accommodation and supports until such time as a home can be secured.  To meet this objective, housing authorities are pursuing the delivery of a range of additional and enhanced family-focused facilities, or family hubs.   

Family hubs offer family living arrangements with a greater level of stability than is possible in hotel accommodation, with the capacity to provide appropriate play-space, cooking and laundry facilities and communal recreation space. This setting also allows for more intensive supports to be provided to families where needed while move-on options to long-term tenancies are identified and secured.  

There are currently 30 hubs operational nationally, offering almost 690 units of family accommodation in urban areas.  There are 23 family hubs in Dublin, two in Kildare and one each in Clare, Cork, Limerick, Louth and Galway.  Further facilities will become operational through the end of 2019 and on an ongoing basis into 2020, details of which will become available as projects are finalised by housing authorities.

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Housing; Planning and Local Government the specific funding under the capital assistance scheme for AHBs to respond to the accommodation needs of young persons that leave state care in each of the years 2016 to 2018 and to date in 2019.

REPLY

Under my Department’s Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS), capital funding of up to 100% of project costs may be advanced by local authorities to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to provide housing for specific categories of housing need, which can include persons leaving State care. Under this heading, where a local authority is informed by Tusla that there is a need for accommodation for people aged 18-21 (or up to 23 if in education/training) leaving State care and who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, it may invite AHBs to apply for CAS funding to provide appropriate accommodation.

There is no specific amount of the overall annual CAS allocation ring-fenced for such projects. Instead, my Department provides funding for individual projects as they are advanced by the local authorities on a project by project basis.

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Housing; Planning and Local Government the status of a new facility with accommodation for pregnant women that are homeless.

REPLY

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 for the provision of accommodation and related services rests with individual housing authorities.

Rebuilding Ireland, the Government's Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness includes a range of measures to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness. One of the measures is to provide a new facility in the Dublin region for pregnant women who are experiencing homelessness. This facility is now operational and has capacity for up to six women.  In addition, a number of family hubs operating in the Dublin region have accommodation and supports designated for pregnant women.

To ask the Minister for Housing; Planning and Local Government the status of the pilot project that will be introduced to support the family functioning of homeless families in emergency accommodation by providing off-site or near-site family time including play, homework, cooking and washing facilities, family support and parent support.
REPLY



Supporting families experiencing homelessness is a key priority of Government.    Rebuilding Ireland, the Government's Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, includes the objective that hotels will only be used in limited circumstances as emergency accommodation for families.  Rebuilding Ireland also sought to ensure that families experiencing homelessness are provided with appropriate emergency accommodation and supports until such time as a home can be secured.  To meet this objective, housing authorities are pursuing the delivery of a range of additional and enhanced family-focused facilities, or family hubs.   

Family hubs offer family living arrangements with a greater level of stability than is possible in hotel accommodation, with the capacity to provide appropriate play-space, cooking and laundry facilities and communal recreation space. This setting also allows for more intensive supports to be provided to families where needed while move-on options to long-term tenancies are identified and secured.  

There are currently 30 hubs operational nationally, offering almost 690 units of family accommodation in urban areas.  There are 23 family hubs in Dublin, two in Kildare and one each in Clare, Cork, Limerick, Louth and Galway.  Further facilities will become operational through the end of 2019 and on an ongoing basis into 2020, details of which will become available as projects are finalised by housing authorities. 

To ask the Minister for Housing; Planning and Local Government the status of a new facility with accommodation for pregnant women that are homeless.
REPLY



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 for the provision of accommodation and related services rests with individual housing authorities.

Rebuilding Ireland, the Government's Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness includes a range of measures to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness. One of the measures is to provide a new facility in the Dublin region for pregnant women who are experiencing homelessness. This facility is now operational and has capacity for up to six women.  In addition, a number of family hubs operating in the Dublin region have accommodation and supports designated for pregnant women.