HOMELESS SERVICE providers are “fixated” on providing emergency accommodation rather than long-term housing for homeless people, the Minister for the Environment has said.
The Department of the Environment “now has to put in place a target system” to force them to move away from this, Phil Hogan said. Statutory funding for services working with the homeless would become reliant on specific targets being met on moving people into long-term accommodation.
A statement said: “The Minister’s new approach will see the provision of funding linked directly to specific targets and outcomes.
“The department currently spends €53.4 million on accommodation and related expenses for homeless services. This [move] will focus service providers to provide independent accommodation for homeless people and families, resulting in a move away from an over-reliance on emergency accommodation in hostels and private BBs.”
A spokesman said the department's 2008 policy The Way Homesignalled an intent to move away from emergency accommodation.
“Three years later there is still a fixation on the emergency-type accommodation. We now have to put in place a targets system. Even though the 2008 strategy was targeting long-term solutions , the resources being applied by the service providers for resettlement is minuscule compared to the amount on emergency accommodation.”
He said Dublin City Council would take on a greater operational role in delivering services.
Among the measures the department will pursue are:
Direct linking of funding to specific targets and outcomes;
Establishment of homeless action teams across the region.
Making better use of existing accommodation in local authorities and in voluntary sector;
Provision of additional social housing through acquisitions and remedial works and upgrading of vacant local authority housing and a leasing programme.
Dublin Simon Community manager Sam McGuinness said he welcomed the Minister’s commitment to ensuring sufficient bed capacity and “move-on housing” is in place.
Focus Ireland said the Minister’s statement “contains a lot of positive proposals but the success of these is totally dependent on the delivery of housing”.
