Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the small bit of spare time I have I chair a regional drugs and alcohol task force in north Dublin. I have seen the benefits of the Housing First approach, particularly for many homeless people who have addiction and also mental health issues. Housing First gives the wraparound supports to help people through homelessness. The programme for Government commits to a housing-led health interaction, with health and housing working together, to ensure that supports follow the person and stay with them. I have had a bilateral meeting with the Minister for Health, Deputy Donnelly, on that. The HSE's winter plan includes direct funding from the HSE towards housing and health solutions. I will give the example from the Dublin Simon Community at Usher's Quay. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage is funding €30 million to what is effectively a 100-bed treatment facility. We are paying for the capital expenditure and the Department of Health will pay for its day-to-day running. Housing First needs to be expanded and we are looking to increase its funding in next year's budget. It is crucially important, especially for those who have been homeless for a very long time, a sizeable proportion of whom fall into the remit of Housing First.

I will make sure they are not forgotten. I know the Deputies will do the same. There will be a particular focus on this. That is very much the focus of the homelessness taskforce which meets every week. Groups like the Society of St. Vincent De Paul, the Simon Communities and the Peter McVerry Trust are briefing me on it directly every week. We will not be found wanting in that regard, but we need to do better and we need to focus on it. I am hoping that when we see the detail of the housing budget next week a continued focus on the expansion of Housing First will be evident.