COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE
Monday, January 22, 2018
QUESTION NO. 10
QUESTION: Councillor Emma Hendrick
"To ask the Chief Executive if emergency accommodation such as hotels are inspected regularly by the Council and what are the guidelines laying out the minimum standard expected from emergency accommodation?"
REPLY:
Standards in Emergency Accommodation across the Dublin Region
Dublin City Council, through the functions of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) are committed to ensuring that homeless services in receipt of funding are of the highest standard. They ensure compliance with all statutory health and safety standards for homeless service provision and there is a formal policy for providers of emergency accommodation in terms of standards required.
All registered and approved homeless service providers who are state funded and who hold a service level agreement with the Dublin Region Homeless Executive must comply with the quality standards as set out in Putting People First which provides a framework for good practice in services for people experiencing homeless. These standards are in place since 1999, and a new National Quality Standards Framework is in development.
National Quality Standards Framework (NQSF)
The Dublin Region Homeless Executive has been coordinating the development of comprehensive national standards for homeless services, having consulted extensively with service users and all key stakeholders. These national standards will inform service users as to what they can expect of services, and will also provide services with a framework for continuous quality improvement in their services.
The objectives of the standards are to:
- Promote safe and effective service provision to people experiencing homelessness
- Support the objectives of the National Homeless Policy, i.e. enabling people to move into and sustain housing with appropriate levels of support.
- Establish consistency in how persons experiencing homelessness are responded to across different regions and models of service delivery.
The NQSF will be applicable to all homeless service provision in receipt of funding, whether the service is statutory, voluntary or private. It will apply to homeless services for single adults, adult couples and for adults with dependent children.
The Dublin Region Homeless Executive is committed to ensuring that the homeless services provided through the statutory funding arrangements are of the highest standard and if a service user has been unhappy with their experience they can seek to have their issues addressed. Firstly they should address the issue with the manager of the relevant establishment to discuss their concerns and if it is not possible to resolve this issue they should contact the DRHE.
The Dublin Regional Homeless Executive provide detailed information on standards in emergency accommodation on their website: www.homelessdublin.ie/