Focus for 2012
11/01/2012
Minister Phil Hogan, Department of Environment, Community and Local Government recently announced (November 23 2011) that Dublin City Council will take greater operational responsibility for responding to homelessness in the greater Dublin area. A specialist unit will be primarily responsible to assist and support persons who are homeless and to help them access independent accommodation.
The focus in 2012, will be to move away from the over reliance on emergency accommodation provision to a more permanent accommodation solution will be achieved through a number of policy measures including:
1. Making better use of the existing available accommodation units in the local authorities and in the voluntary sector
2. Additional social housing provision through acquisitions and remedial works/upgrading of vacant local authority housing stock and a leasing programme
3. Discussions with NAMA on the possibility of securing properties without significant state funding
4. Targeted use of the Rental Accommodation Scheme (RAS)
5. Enhanced role of the private rental sector
6. Better co-ordination with the voluntary and cooperative housing sector.