COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, November 14, 2022
QUESTION NO. 49
QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons
To ask the Chief Executive for a detailed report into Homeless with our county and to include how long people average in homeless services and whats available to meet this need?
REPLY:
At the end of September 2022, 513 households, comprising a total of 640 adults and 468 children, were registered as homeless with this Council, with a breakdown of household type as follows:
| Household Type | No. |
| Single Male | 262 |
| Single Female | 63 |
| Couples | 20 |
| Families | 168 |
| Total | 513 |
Households on the homeless list have a combined average time on list of approximately 4 years, with these households having spent an average of 2.5 years accessing homeless services and supports, with this figure reducing to approximately 1.7 years for families. The time households accessing homeless services and supports is dependent on a number of factors, including their time already accrued on the housing list, their ability to secure a private rented property with the higher (homeless) rate of HAP support, their housing need and the availability of properties to meet their need.
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.
While family hubs are not intended as a long-term accommodation solution 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 and the Council continues to pursue additional family hub options in the County.
Increasing housing supply is critical to meeting current housing need, including for homeless households, and the Council's Housing Delivery Action Plan 2022-2026, which was published following its approval by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, outlines our approach to meeting the social housing delivery targets set for the Council under the national housing plan, Housing for All.
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, Staff in the homeless unit will organise emergency accommodation for those assessed as homeless through the Assessment and Placement Service.