Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I appeal to the Minister of State at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and to the Government to take an interest in St. Catherine's Foyer, which has been in place since 2004. Will the Minister of State intervene before a final decision is made to close or alter the management ethos of the Cara Foyer in Marrowbone Lane? There were other Cara foyers elsewhere. Dublin City Council and the Simon Community are in discussions about this centre. The main source of funding is the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government via Dublin City Council. The current discussions have not included the local community in any way. The community is hearing by drip-feed about the proposals to turn the foyer into a general homeless shelter. This is not a case of NIMBY-ism. That is not the attitude. The community wants this facility to remain and does not want it altered.

What is being proposed is contrary to the commitment given to the community when it agreed to have the foyer built on its community space when its sports and youth centre was being built. The community was told that unless it allowed the foyer to be built it would get nothing. Thanks to the combination of the St. Catherine's residents' association, the Coalition of Communities against Drugs and Dublin City Council, two fine facilities were built in this severely disadvantaged area of the south inner city. Hundreds of young people and many adults use the sports complex, which shares an entrance with the 48-bed foyer, every day. This is a mixed complex and to the best of my knowledge there has not been one incident or problem between the residents of the foyer and the local community, which augurs well for the future if it is allowed to continue under the ethos and management that it has now.

Up to 14 people between the ages of 18 and 25 years who are homeless or at risk of being homeless can have their own space in this centre for up to two years while they are getting on their feet and availing of a key worker in the complex, as well as other services including educational opportunities and access to work placements. It has been an innovative, unique and holistic answer to the needs of many young homeless people in Dublin and has been very successful. It is a safe space that is now at risk from a proposed change which would allow anybody from the homeless list in the Dublin City Council area, which includes drug users and convicted sex offenders, to invade this space next to a youth centre that is used by hundreds of people every day. If the foyer is changed to a homeless shelter, of which there are already several in the constituency, it will not be the centre of excellence that it has been. This is of concern to the community. I urge the Minister of State to ensure that if Cara wishes to extract itself from the foyer, other options are considered, such as its being taken on by Dublin City Council or another youth organisation to ensure the facility is retained and the community is safe.

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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Unfortunately, the Minister of State with responsibility for housing and planning, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, is not available to take this debate today, but she has asked me to thank the Deputy for providing this opportunity to discuss the issue of homelessness and the Government's response to it.

The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government's role in respect of homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at local level. Statutory responsibility for the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with the housing authorities - in this instance, Dublin City Council. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government has no function in this regard, nor is it involved in decisions on operational matters.

I understand St. Catherine's Foyer is a housing facility in Dublin 8 which deals exclusively with young people aged 18 to 25 who have experienced homelessness or are in danger of becoming homeless. The facility can accommodate up to 40 individuals for stays of up to two years. There is a focus on personal development and all residents are assigned a member of staff who assists them in achieving life goals such as education, skills development, job searching and emotional development.

The future day-to-day operational management of St. Catherine's Foyer is a matter under consideration by the board of the foyer - that is, Cara Housing Association Limited. This consideration relates to its ongoing role as a management agent in the provision of homeless services in Dublin.

Both the Health Service Executive and Dublin City Council are supporting Cara Housing in this process and the board of the foyer is now engaged with Dublin Simon in exploring opportunities for the ongoing management of services in keeping with the Government’s policy on addressing homelessness.

The Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, recently published the Government's homelessness policy statement. It is a clear, concise and accessible articulation of the political and policy focus that informs the approach to ending homelessness. It places an explicit emphasis on a housing-led approach as the primary response to homelessness. Long-term and sustainable housing should be the primary response to all forms of homelessness. A housing-led approach is the emerging consensus in international social policy, both academically and in practice. It is generally accepted as a positive departure from previous models which saw stable housing as the end goal in combating homelessness and individuals moved through various stages in residential services, from emergency to transitional, before being assessed for long-term independent housing.

The previous approaches to homelessness saw individuals trapped in emergency accommodation for long periods. The emphasis on short-term emergency interventions has proved expensive to administer and operate. More importantly, it did not serve the individual well in terms of dignity and well-being. The housing-led approach to homelessness outlined in the policy statement incorporates the provision of support for people in their homes according to their needs. We need to focus on long-term solutions to homelessness. The goal is to assist homeless persons who can live independently into mainstream accommodation as soon as possible. It is about sustaining tenancies. It is important that a range of housing options is available to enable someone to move out of emergency accommodation as quickly as possible into long-term accommodation more suited to their needs. There can be no greater solution to homelessness than providing people with a home where they can live as full and valued members of society.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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That reply has absolutely nothing to do with the issue I raised. The Department can involve itself in the operational questions around this centre since it is the primary funder. It is a pity the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O’Sullivan, is not in the Chamber because she would be well aware of the work of Cara Housing, as she was a director - she possibly still is - and perhaps even was chair of that company. Questions arise about the English Cara Housing Association extracting itself from Ireland.

The centre in question is working. Its success is highlighted by testimonies from social workers and youth workers across the city. With the HSE and the Garda, they attest to the fact that this is the type of centre required. If its ethos is changed, we will end up with the chaotic circumstances one sees in homeless centres in this city. Changing the ethos would mean people on the general homeless list would be entitled to avail of this centre, meaning they would share an open door with St. Catherine’s Community Centre in which there are young people. One could have sex offenders, chaotic drug users and alcoholics going to the complex which was prevented in the past.

The young people in this centre are at risk and not on the transitional housing list but are given two years to allow them the space to get their lives together and back into education or a job. The centre has been successful in this respect, as has been proved in every evaluation of it. Will the Minister intercede before Dublin City Council makes an arrangement with the Simon Community to turn this into a normal Simon homeless centre? There are other alternatives. It could be run by the city council, as happens in Cork, or by another youth service. Several youth services have indicated an interest in running the centre.

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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The future day-to-day operational management of St. Catherine's Foyer is a matter under consideration by the board of Cara Housing Association Limited. This consideration relates to its ongoing role as management agent in the provision of homeless services in Dublin.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Is the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O’Sullivan, still on the board of directors of Cara Housing Association Limited? If she is, that would give rise to a conflict of interest.

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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The Minister of State has set out the ambitious target of ending long-term homelessness by the end of 2016 by explicitly adopting a housing-led approach. Considerable funding has been extended to tackle homelessness annually across the Government. The Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government has overseen local government and State expenditure exceeding €50 million a year in respect of the running costs of homeless facilities and associated services. There is also considerable capital investment in homeless services on an annual basis. In addition, the HSE is spending over €30 million on care packages for the homeless every year. A housing-led approach is not just about achieving a better return on public investment. Its driving ambition is ensuring the dignity and value of individuals and families. By definition, a home encompasses security, safety and well-being.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Has the Minister of State resigned from the board of directors of Cara Housing Association Limited?

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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It is not just a place to shelter but a place in which we flourish and from where we contribute to our wider community. The Minister of States’s targets and approach are enlightened.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I agree they are laudable but not in this case. This is a facility that is not even operating at capacity.

Dinny McGinley (Donegal South West, Fine Gael)
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That will be brought to the Minister of State’s attention.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Good, but she will be well aware of it already.

Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy had his time.