Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

I will be taking the Adjournment on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Mary Harney. I thank the Senator for raising the issue of revenue funding for the provision of care staff in shelters for homeless adults. The provision of revenue funding for in-house care staff in homeless shelters and outreach health services to homeless adults is managed by the Health Service Executive. The provision of capital funding for the accommodation of homeless adults is the responsibility of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the local authorities, as is the funding of non-care staff.

Funding to local authorities for the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons has increased significantly since the adoption in 2000 of the integrated strategy on adult homelessness. A sum of €15.8 million was provided in that year, increasing to €52.9 million in 2007 and amounting to €366 million in total over the seven-year period. This has delivered a wide range of accommodation and services for homeless persons throughout the country, from emergency hostels and transitional accommodation programmes to outreach and resettlement services and long-term supported accommodation.

In the period 2000 to 2007, €171 million in revenue funding has been allocated for the provision of health services to homeless adults. More than 2,000 individual beds and 180 family units in 145 projects have been provided with this funding. Primary care services such as dental, general practitioner, nursing, chiropody, alcohol detoxification and counselling services have been provided in hostels and day centres. Outreach teams and dedicated multidisciplinary mental health teams also have been established.

A revised Government strategy on adult homelessness is nearing completion. It has been developed by the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government under the aegis of the cross-departmental team on homelessness with input from the national homeless consultative committee, the Department of Health and Children and the HSE. Its core objective is the elimination by the end of 2010 of the long-term occupancy of emergency homeless accommodation and the need to sleep rough in Ireland. This builds on the commitment made in Towards 2016 regarding emergency accommodation. The intention is to ensure homelessness is of a short duration and that appropriate housing and other supports are facilitated while minimising the risk of homelessness occurring through effective preventative policies and services.

In 2008 the HSE will spend €33 million on the provision of in-house care in hostels and on outreach community health services. In addition, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government will make available a sum of €53.2 million towards accommodation and related costs.

The Minister is aware that the opening of some homeless facilities has been deferred because of funding issues which has affected the provision of care staff required to run these facilities. The Department and the HSE are in active consultation with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, the Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs and the voluntary service providers involved with a view to resolving the issue of funding and enabling these facilities to open as soon as possible.