COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, November 09, 2015

QUESTION NO.22

QUESTION: Councillor C. O'Connor

To ask the Chief Executive to present a report on his efforts to deal with homelessness in the county over the past month and will he also detail what further initiatives are planned for the remainder of this year.

REPLY:

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 provides for

South Dublin County Council operate 2 daily drop-in clinics for those homeless or at risk of homelessness from 10am to 12noon and 2pm to 4pm Monday to Friday and offers the following services:

  1. Advice/Assessment/Prevention options
  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 will be in place from the 2nd November 2015 to 1st April 2016. 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.

The Initiative aims to support individuals, who may not access the current range of services including persons who tend not to engage with homeless accommodation providers or day services or persons who may be ineligible in terms of social welfare benefits and find themselves in very vulnerable situations without accommodation.

The Council has a supported temporary accommodation facility in the Tallaght area for people sleeping rough in South Dublin. It caters for 21 individuals at any one time. In an effort to increase the number of beds available for those sleeping rough the Council has made 4 x 2 bed apartments and 3 x 3 bed houses available as move on for those in the facility who are considered capable of independent living. It is envisaged that these units will cater for 16 persons to move on and live independently with supports

The Minister for the Environment Community and Local Government issued a New directive from 7 August 2015 to 31 January 2016 (earlier Directive covered the period February  2015 to July 2015), whereby 50% of allocations must be considered for those who on or before the 1 June 2015, are deemed by the authority to have one or more than one of the following needs:

(i) was in an institution, emergency accommodation or a hostel (i.e. a homeless household within the meaning of Section 2 of the Housing Act 1988);

(ii) has an accommodation requirement arising from an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual impairment (i.e. households where one of its members has a disability and as such is deemed to be a vulnerable household); and

(iii) was in accommodation that was unsuitable for the household's adequate housing on exceptional medical or compassionate grounds (i.e. including households the subject of domestic violence and young people leaving State care and as such deemed to be a vulnerable household).

The Council has to date allocated  89 units to homeless families meeting above criteria to end of September 2015. The Council has also worked with families who are in danger of losing RAS units through landlords having to or deciding to sell their properties. The Council has worked with these landlords in acquiring the properties to avoid pending homelessness for the families.

The Council has also secured 65 Units through NARPS at Tallaght Cross which are managed by TUATH Approved Housing Body - the facility provides family accomodtaion for 65 Families who were in emergancy Hotel accomodation and are now in family units and with the on site support of FOCUS Ireland in getting alternative accomodation within the private market through HAP.

Under the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government’s (DECLG) Action Plan to Address Homelessness announced in December 2014, it was agreed that the HAP scheme would be extended as a pilot specifically aimed at homeless households in the Dublin region. This scheme permits an enhanced level of rent for appropriate properties

A dedicated Homeless HAP Unit has been established in the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) offices to assist with the implementation and roll out of the pilot across homeless services which commenced operations on the 18th February 2015.

Under HAP, households are required to find their own accommodation in the private rented sector. However for homeless households who have higher support needs, STA and TEA Key Workers / Homeless Action Teams will be required to assist their client household in sourcing appropriate private rented accommodation.