Specific funding under the capital assistance scheme for AHBs

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.