Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

811. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the local authorities that he wrote to regarding family hubs; and the criteria for selecting which local authorities would be contacted on this issue. [37768/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Dealing with homelessness is an absolute priority for the Government and Rebuilding Ireland, the Government's Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, sets out a range of actions in that regard, implementation of which is well underway. My Department is committed to ensuring that those experiencing homelessness are accommodated in appropriate emergency accommodation until such time as they can move to an independent tenancy.

Following recent increases in the numbers of individuals and families in the Dublin region, where the problem of homelessness is most acute, I wrote to the chief executives of Dublin City Council, Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council, Fingal County Council and South Dublin Council, requesting that they undertake a number of additional actions urgently. This included the development of additional family hubs in each of their local authority areas. Funding is available from my Department to support all such urgent additional activity.

Family hubs offer families living arrangements with a greater level of stability than is possible in hotel accommodation, providing cooking and laundry facilities and recreation spaces. In addition, hub accommodation provides better opportunities to engage with families and support their exit from emergency accommodation into independent tenancies.