Dublin Homeless Services Urgently Require Access to Housing in Dublin to Meet 2010 Vision
10/08/2010
Following on from recent meeting of the Dublin Joint Homelessness Consultative Forum (previously Board of the Homeless Agency Partnership), the Forum stated that critical to the success of the reconfiguration of homeless services in Dublin is gaining access to the required level of housing to meet the agreed 2010 Vision of eliminating long-term homelessness and the need for people to sleep rough in Dublin.
Cathal Morgan, Director of the Homeless Agency and member of the Forum said:
‘Access to housing is our greatest challenge and one which we urgently need to resolve.The delivery of housing is essential to the implementation of a Pathway to Home, a strategy which has been agreed as the way forward by homeless services in Dublin and which is guided by the main aim of simplifying and speeding up the journey for people who are at risk of and who are currently experiencing long-term homelessness.
Statutory and voluntary homeless service providers are doing everything in their capacity to ensure that individual’s who are accessing their services and who are ready for independent living are ready to move into housing with the necessary supports, as soon as it becomes available.
To support this, Minister Finneran and his officials have put in place a number of important schemes to assist access to housing for people who are homeless, but what is critically needed is the owners of all types of properties, developers or estate agents who are interested in making properties available to lease or buy and should contact the Housing and Sustainable Communities Agency (HSCA) or Dublin local authorities as soon as possible’
A dedicated housing procurement team from the four Dublin local authorities has been in place to work with the HSCA, The Irish Council for Social Housing (ICSH) and Associated Housing Bodies to accelerate progress towards meeting the level of housing required to meet the needs of people through the following housing options:
- The enhanced social housing leasing arrangements (investment by the Minister of €20million capital funding)
- Capital Assistance Scheme for the provision of mainstream accommodation (investment by the Minister of €25 million, which includes people who are homeless as a ‘priority category of need’
- Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS)
- Private rental
Cathal Morgan added:
‘Current funded services are being reconfigured so as to ensure a clear fit with the Pathway to Home model and in keeping with the National Homeless Strategy, The Way Home. As sufficient housing comes into place, there will be a greater emphasis on the localisation of services and this will decrease the quantity of services in the city centre area and increase the level of supports available. The proposed decommissioning of not-fit-for-purpose building facilities will take place on a prioritised basis and will be managed subject to the availability of housing’.
For further information please contact:
Lisa Kelleher
Communications & Public Relations
The Homeless Agency
T: 01 7036106/086 3897694