Madam, - The Homeless Agency welcomes the announcement from the Minister of State for Housing on April 5th which allocated funding of €36.4 million toward the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless people in the Dublin area this year.
The agency aims to eliminate homelessness in Dublin by 2010. To achieve this, the agency and its partners manage and co-ordinate agreed action plans, and the provision of services to people who are homeless in the Dublin area.
This partnership has made a difference to the lives of homeless people, reflecting the dedication and commitment of those working to provide appropriate services and interventions. A key indicator of this success is the reduction in the number of people presenting as homeless to service providers, and an increase in the number of people moving on out of homelessness in 2004.
None of this work would have been possible without the significant support and funding received from both the Minister of State for Housing, and the Minister for Health and Children.
As Mr Ahern mentioned in his announcement - but what your Editorial comment of April 6th failed to acknowledge - is the significant health and care related needs of homeless people, and the substantial funding for services in these areas required from the Minister for Health and Children. The Homeless Agency is currently in discussions with the Health Service Executive to finalise this funding for 2005.
Housing on its own won't solve homelessness, if the health and care related needs of homeless people are not also addressed. It is essential that the needs of people at risk of homelessness, to enable them to live independently in the community, are supported and met through co-ordinated inter-agency approaches in areas such as health, welfare, education, employment and training.
The Homeless Agency and its partners are taking a lead role in addressing this, by developing a 5-year Preventative Strategy. This strategy will drive the implementation of initiatives such as a Tenancy Sustainment Service and a Care and Case Management Model across the homeless services sector. Each of these initiatives seek to implement person centred - rather than service centred - systems and plans for co-ordinated multi-agency intervention. The aim is to prevent individuals from becoming homeless, and empower them to shape their own futures.
Clearly, the elimination of homelessness in Dublin is a challenging and ambitious target. It requires collective responsibility and action. Our success depends upon the continued support and funding from both the Minister of State for Housing, and the Minister for Health and Children. - Yours, etc.,
Dr DERVAL HOWLEY, Director, Homeless Agency, Dublin 8.