Public views sought on Child and Family Homelessness Action Plan
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The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD, has today launched a public consultation to seek input to inform the development of a dedicated and targeted Child and Family Homelessness Action Plan.
The plan, which is being developed as part of the Government's new Housing Action Plan, ‘Delivering Homes, Building Communities’, recognises that homelessness is the single most pressing social issue that we face and will introduce a number of key measures to tackle the problem. The plan will place a particular emphasis on prevention measures and initiatives to accelerate exits and reduce the time spent by children and their families in emergency accommodation.
The plan will address issues currently experienced by children in emergency accommodation and put in place additional supports in areas such as education, nutrition, and mental health as well as for parents and expectant mothers.
Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD today emphasised:
“I am determined to rapidly tackle child and youth homelessness – it’s not acceptable at any level.
“Homelessness itself is without doubt the most pressing social issue for me, but in particular I am conscious of the young people who are impacted by precarious living conditions and homelessness every single night. They deserve better and I want to make sure we are doing what is needed.
“The ‘Child and Family Homelessness Action Plan’ will focus specifically on how the issue of homelessness affects young people and families, and I want to ensure we deliver a plan to tackle it, prevent it and change outcomes for the better in a comprehensive way.
“Members of the public, those engaged in housing supports and services, as well as a wide range of our NGOs, charities and housing bodies are all invited to engage with this consultation to add their voices and views as the plan is developed.
“This is critical work. I will not allow this to be a plan that sits on paper. It must be prioritised and implemented with urgency and I want to gather as many views as possible first in order to feed into it and ensure it’s well rounded, responsive and delivers for all those who need it most – the young people affected by precarious living conditions.”
The new Housing Action Plan, ‘Delivering Homes, Building Communities’, has already set out a number of key measures to help tackle the issue of homelessness. These include a dedicated capital funding of €100 million in 2026 for the acquisition of second-hand properties to support the exit of families longest in homeless emergency accommodation. The plan also includes the Housing First programme, and the implementation of a National Homelessness Prevention Framework which will set out measures and actions to address the causes of homeless. In addition, Budget 2026 provided enhanced funding of over €560 million to support the provision of homeless services.
The Child and Family Homelessness Action Plan will be a crucial part of the overall approach to tackling homelessness. Interested parties are asked to make submissions focusing on key priority areas and additional measures that can be taken to address child and family homelessness. All responses received will be considered and will inform the development of the Child and Family Homelessness Action Plan, which is due to be published in the second quarter of 2026. Closing date for receipt of submissions is close of business, Friday 6 February 2026.
Full details can be found on the Department's website here.
ENDS