COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, November 14, 2022
QUESTION NO. 48
QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons
To ask the Chief Executive for a detailed report on emergency accommodation in SDCC. Report to include plans to meet current and future needs?
REPLY:
Our Homeless Unit continues to provide assistance to those who find themselves homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. Working in conjunction with the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, this unit operates an advice clinic in County Hall and provides outreach services across the County as well as detailing emergency accommodation options including central placement, self-accommodate, family hubs and other supported accommodation. Staff in the homeless unit will organise emergency accommodation for those assessed as homeless through the Assessment and Placement Service.
There are three family hubs are in operation in South Dublin County at present as follows:
- High Street Family Hub (Abberly): 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 12 family rooms.
The Council continues to actively explore further options for the provision of emergency accommodation across the County in collaboration with the Dublin Region Homeless Executive.
The Council's outreach service operates all year around for rough sleepers across the County, working with other agencies, including the HSE, in identifying rough sleepers and connecting them with appropriate accommodation and support services and this service will also play a vital role in assisting homeless rough-sleepers during the winter months. In addition, the Council is also committed to the provision of housing first tenancies where appropriate.
Increasing housing supply is critical to meeting current housing need, including for homeless households, and the Council's Housing Delivery Action Plan 2022-2026 outlines our approach to meeting the social housing delivery targets set for the Council under the national housing plan, Housing for All along with a commitment to sustained allocation of available properties to homeless households or to prevent homelessness while the recent introduction of the eviction ban will assist in alleviating immediate pressures from increasing homeless presentations.