COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

QUESTION NO.

QUESTION: Councillor E. Ó Broin

To ask the Chief Executive for a report on rough sleepers in the Clondalkin LEA including the estimated numbers, the supports provided by the Council and others to these individuals, and the efforts being made to provide these individuals appropriate emergency and long term accommodation?

REPLY:

The Homeless Services Unit has not received any reports of any persons sleeping rough in the Clondalkin Area.

Homeless Services for Dublin are delivered on a regional basis and are funded through DECLG, HSE and the four Local Authorities.

South Dublin County Council’s 2015 Annual Service Plan for Housing Services will provide for

• Provision of Assessment & Placement Service
• Outreach Worker
• Contribution towards provision of emergency accommodation – Supported Temporary Accommodation (STA), Temporary Emergency Accommodation (TEA), Long-term Supported Housing (LTSH); Private Emergency Accommodation (B&B / Hotel Accommodation) and Saoirse Women’s Refuge.
• Contribution towards support services such as Focus Ireland Tallaght, Homeless Advice Unit, Focus Ireland Tenancy Sustainment Service; SLI Visiting Support Service through Dublin Simon, Focus Ireland New Presenters Support Service; Focus Ireland Homeless Action Team, Housing First Intake Team and Housing First Visiting Support Team

SDCC’s  Homeless Services Unit offers the following: 

1. Advice/Assessment
2. Bed Placement
3. Completion of Housing Needs Assessment
4. Sign up for Social Housing
5. Sli Service - which aids the establishment and maintenance of a tenancy once signed for over a period of time in accordance of need
6. Provides an outreach service including prison visits
7. Weekly clinic in CARP

In addition, the annual Cold Weather Initiative has been in place since 1st November 2014 and it will run until the end of March 2014. It provides an emergency humanitarian response to the needs of persons who may be sleeping rough during cold weather. It provides dedicated additional beds to the existing number of beds available on a nightly basis in the Dublin region. 

On 4th December 2014, Minister Alan Kelly TD announced the following:

260 additional emergency beds	To be in place by the end of 2014
A Nite Café	This service will be established to provide a contact point for homeless people who do not want to be placed in emergency accommodation.   It will provide food, rest area and showers.   This will facilitate up to 50 people and will operate throughout the night, 7 days a week.   Initial commencement from 15th December –full service will commence from January 2015.
Transport with Housing First Service (On Street Service)	Provided with immediate effect   It will transport persons to emergency accommodation if required.