Nicky McFadden (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will outline his existing commitment to tackling homelessness; if he will provide an update on the progress of the implementation of the housing strategy; if current funding levels for homelessness will be maintained; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47750/12]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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The Programme for Government committed to reviewing the homeless strategy, The Way Home: A Strategy to Address Adult Homelessness in Ireland 2008-2013 and to implementing a housing led approach to homelessness. Work on the review is almost complete and I intend to issue a policy statement on homelessness shortly. That statement will take account of demands on existing housing and will assess how best to continue providing services in a manner consistent with the elimination of existing homelessness and to ensure more effective prevention strategies. On its conclusion, I will be indicating what I expect from housing authorities and other stakeholders in accelerating progress towards realising the ambition of eliminating involuntary long-term homelessness. However, much progress has been made in otherwise implementing the strategy including inter alia :

-the publication of a detailed Implementation Plan in April 2009, which set out a range of priority actions to be undertaken to deliver on the six strategic aims of the Strategy;

-new legislative provisions in the Housing Act 2009 that came into force on 1 February 2010, which put Homelessness Fora and Homelessness Action Plans on a statutory basis, and are now being implemented at regional and local level;

-the adoption in 2010 by the 34 City and County Councils of their statutory Homelessness Action Plans;

-annual provision of current funding to provide for sufficient bed capacity to accommodate all those in need of emergency accommodation nationwide and to deliver on the commitment to eliminate the need for persons involuntarily to sleep rough;

- the on-going reconfiguration of existing emergency or transitional homeless facilities to provide a substantial number of secure long-term tenancies for homeless persons;

-the development of a scheme, Support to Live Independently, to provide visiting supports for persons leaving homelessness which assists people to progress from homelessness to independent living in mainstream housing and forms an important element of follow up action to end long-term homelessness, by co-ordinating appropriate tenancy and other supports to meet each individuals’ needs in their local community setting; and

-the new homelessness on-line data and bed management system, PASS, which is operational in Dublin and is being extended nationally on a phased basis with work currently underway in other regions.

The National Implementation Plan for the Homeless Strategy also provides for the development of a more devolved allocation-based system for the provision of accommodation-related funding to housing authorities with emphasis on increased decision making at local level, in lieu of the existing individual project based arrangements, to improve overall efficiency, value for money and greater local decision making in homeless services.

A Protocol has been put in place with Dublin City Council to provide delegation of responsibility in relation to the management of homelessness funding. Similar arrangements are being put in place in respect of the other statutory homelessness regions.

My Department’s current funding provision for the running costs of homeless accommodation and related services for 2012 is €50 million, which, together with 10% provided from housing authorities’ own resources, brings the total available funding to €55.55 million in 2012. This level of funding means that there will be no reduction in the provision of essential frontline support services.