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Homelessness
From Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
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Addressing the issue of homelessness involves a cross Government response:
- The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at local level
- Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual local authorities.If you are homeless please contact the Housing Section of your local authority.
- The Health Service Executive (HSE) is responsible for the provision of healthcare and social supports for homeless persons managing a significant annual budget for direct homeless services. Details are available are on the HSE website.
- Tusla – Child and Family Agency is responsible for services to support victims of domestic abuse. Details are available on the Tusla - Child and Family Agency website.
- The Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection oversees a range of supports to assist in maintaining or securing a tenancy. Details are available on the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection website.
A High Level Homelessness Task Force was established in July 2020, to provide a forum for engagement with key organisations working together to address homelessness. It also provides input on the implementation of the commitments on homelessness in the Programme for Government.
The membership of the taskforce consists of the Chief Executives of:
- the Dublin Region Homeless Executive
- Crosscare
- Depaul
- Focus Ireland
- the Peter McVerry Trust
- Dublin Simon Community
- Threshold
Published in July 2016, Rebuilding Ireland: Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness is designed to:
- accelerate the provision of social housing
- deliver more housing
- utilise vacant homes
- improve the rental sector and address the needs of homeless people and families
Full details are available on the Rebuilding Ireland website.
In tandem with Rebuilding Ireland a range of measures are being taken to secure a ring-fenced supply of accommodation for homeless households and to mobilise the necessary supports.
These measures have been identified in the government's Implementation Plan on the State's Response to Homelessness (May 2014) and in the Action Plan to Address Homelessness (December 2014).
These Plans represent a whole-of-Government approach to dealing with homelessness and contain actions in relation to the associated issues of housing, welfare and healthcare.
Implementation Plan - Dublin Region
Latest progress reports:
Implementation Plan on the State's Response to Homelessness - Progress Report 2015 Q4
Implementation Plan on the State's Response to Homelessness - Progress Report 2015 Q3
The Government’s Homelessness Policy Statement (pdf, 239kb) was published in February 2013. The statement makes explicit a commitment to a housing-led approach to end long-term homelessness and the three key aspects of this approach: supply, prevention are outlined in the statement. The statement also includes a target to end involuntary long-term homelessness by the end of 2016.
The Homelessness Policy Statement was informed by a 2012 report Ending Homelessness – A Housing Led Approach, prepared by Professor Eoin O'Sullivan of Trinity College Dublin. Professor O’Sullivan undertook an assessment of The Way Home: A Strategy to Address Adult Homelessness in Ireland Professor Eoin O'Sullivan’s report strongly endorsed the principles and fundamentals of The Way Home strategy.
An Independent Review of Homeless Services was carried out by Mazars and published in January 2016.
- The Cross Departmental Team on Homelessness (CDT) was established in 1998, with representation from across Government Departments and State agencies
- The National Homelessness Consultative Committee (NHCC) was established in 2007, to provide for representation from a wide range of stakeholders in the ongoing development of Government homelessness policy.
Since 2009 both groups have been meeting on joint basis. The following are the Minutes of CDT-NHCC for each year:
2013: 23 January 2013, 21 May 2013, 24 September 2013, 3 December 2013.
2014: 26 February 2014, 7 May 2014, 22 July 2014, 5 November 2014.
2015: 4 June 2015 21 October 2015
Our Homelessness data webpage contains statistical data, local authority regional performance reports and local authority financial reports.
The Guidance for Housing Authorities for Assisting Victims of Domestic Violence with Emergency and Long-Term Accommodation Needs sets out a summary of best practice for local authorities in relation to their housing remit to ensure an effective and consistent response for victims of domestic violence in relation to emergency and long-term accommodation needs.
