Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Budget 2018 provides for an allocation of €116 million for homeless services, which is an additional €18 million, or 18%, on this year's provision of roughly €98 million, and a 66% increase on the 2016 provision of €70 million.

The long-term solution to the current homelessness challenge is to increase the supply of homes. Accordingly, the Rebuilding Ireland - Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness is designed to accelerate all types of housing supply; in particular, it seeks to increase the delivery of social housing by 50,000 units over the period to 2021.

Working within this plan, it is intended that the long-term housing needs of households in emergency accommodation will be met through a range of social housing supports such as the enhanced housing assistance payment, HAP, scheme and general social housing allocations. Notwithstanding the significant level of homelessness presentations, considerable progress is being made on securing accommodation solutions for homeless households. In 2016, over 3,000 sustainable exits from homelessness into independent tenancies were achieved. During the first half of 2017, the rate of progress increased, with over 2,000 such exits being achieved. This level of activity, which has continued in recent months, has resulted in the number of homeless families in emergency accommodation in Dublin falling for a second successive month in September, for the first time in three years.

To mitigate the issues associated with homeless families accommodated in inappropriate temporary arrangements, housing authorities are pursuing a range of new supported temporary accommodation initiatives, referred to as family hubs. These will continue to offer much better family living arrangements while more permanent housing solutions are arranged for the families concerned.

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