COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE

Monday, January 27, 2020

QUESTION NO. 24

QUESTION: Councillor D. Richardson

"To ask the Chief Executive to report on the current amount of rough sleepers in the Tallaght area and what support they are offered by SDCC?"

REPLY:

"The last rough sleeper count took place in November 2019 and South Dublin recorded 4 individuals on the night, however this number can vary night by night due to a variety of reasons.

The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) coordinates the responses to homelessness on behalf of the four Dublin Local Authorities.  Services operate throughout the year to support people sleeping rough.  In order to meet the increase in demand for homeless services and have the appropriate contingency plans in place for cold weather conditions, the Cold Weather Strategy 2019 was activated in the Dublin Region.  The Cold Weather Strategy is a dual approach, focusing on expanding current capacity to meet increasing demand for emergency accommodation and providing a targeted response and more assertive engagement with long-term, entrenched rough sleepers and hard to reach groups.  This initiative will remain in place for the winter months in 2020.

The Council operates an outreach service and multi-agency approach to address rough sleepers across the County.  The Outreach worker works closely with the HSE in particular in identifying rough sleepers and sourcing appropriate accommodation and support services. The needs of rough sleepers are often very complex and challenging and require a comprehensive and coordinated approach.

Killininney House offers accommodation for single men and additional placements as step down/transitional in Glenn na Horna in Springfield. Other hostel type accommodation is operated through the Central Placement Services and is not in the control of this local authority, and as a result the service can only offer the accommodation that is available on any given day.

There are two ‘rough sleeper’ counts each year. Traditionally these are carried out in spring and winter.   Areas identified by Councillors and members of the public are visited to ensure an accurate count.

If members of the public are concerned about rough sleepers, they can report their concerns to www.homelessdublin.ie/-rough-sleeper."