COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, July 11, 2022
QUESTION NO. 20
QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons
To ask the Chief Executive for a report into Family Hubs in SDCC, to include how many, numbers accommodated and management
REPLY:
There are three family hubs are in operation in South Dublin County at present as follows:
- High Street Family Hub (Abberley): a privately managed facility with 58 rooms (including 9 large family rooms) which is currently fully occupied with 54 households
- Firhouse Family Hub: managed by Respond Housing with 20 rooms and currently fully occupied by 20 households.
- Springfield Family Hub: also managed by Respond Housing and which is also fully occupied accommodating 12 households in twelve family rooms.
The number of families accommodated in the High Street and Firhouse family hubs depends on the household sizes as some larger households can require more than one room and numbers in hubs also fluctuate regularly as families move onto HAP-supported properties or social housing tenancies.
Family hubs are not intended as a long-term accommodation solutions but they are an important response for households that become homeless and have no alternative other than self-accommodation in hotels and B&Bs. Hubs provide short-term but more stable and appropriate accommodation that includes play space, cooking & laundry facilities and communal recreation space. This relative stability allows families to pursue longer term private rented accommodation through HAP support, with the assistance of on-site key workers, or social housing tenancies.
As families progress from family hubs to HAP or social housing, places in the hubs are then offered to other homeless families and there are currently approximately 170 families registered as homeless with the Council of which 44 are awaiting family hub accommodation.