Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Boyhan for raising this important matter. Regarding his initial comments, I look forward to attending Bloom this afternoon with my ministerial colleagues. It is a great opportunity and great credit is due to Bord Bia, an organisation that we support extensively through our Department. It comes directly under my remit in the Department. Great credit is due to Bord Bia for what is a fantastic event. More than 100,000 people will visit Bloom in the coming days and get to see the best of our horticultural sector. This is a sector that is facing significant challenges. It is important that the urban-based, non-agricultural population get to understand and appreciate the quality of our Irish food and where it comes from. There is so much for us to be proud of, so I look forward to attending Bloom later today. I thank the Senator for his comments on this subject. I will pass them on to Bord Bia and to my officials in the Department as well.

Moving to the important issue of youth homelessness that the Senator raised today, I take on board his comments. I acknowledge what he said. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, who, unfortunately, cannot be here. I do take on board the points the Senator made. It would probably be easier, we could say, for Governments not to publish these monthly figures and to perhaps hide away from such a challenging issue, but this is not the Government's approach here at all. We are determined to tackle what is a major crisis in homelessness. I refer specifically to the significant challenges of youth homelessness and to that cohort of young people who have the potential to become homeless and to trying to make interventions in this regard.

In line with commitments in the programme for Government and Housing for All, the youth homelessness strategy was published in November 2022, as the Senator is aware. The strategy aims to help young people aged 18 to 24 who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. As the Senator said, it sets out 27 distinct actions to prevent youth homelessness, improve the experiences of young people accessing emergency accommodation and assist young people in exiting homelessness. This is the first youth homelessness strategy in over 20 years and is a significant milestone in the Government's efforts to eradicate homelessness.It is important that we have a strategy like this because, as we know, homelessness is not just about the availability of property. There are always so many other underlying challenges and complications that go beyond just the provision of housing itself.

The development of the strategy was, therefore, informed by a wide range of views. A number of consultations were held by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage in the first half of 2022 with key stakeholders, including Government Departments, agencies, the NGO homeless sector and, most importantly, young people with direct experience of homelessness. In total, 29 young people aged 19 to 26 participated. The 27 actions within the strategy are concrete and deliverable, and enable a stronger, co-ordinated national approach to tackling youth homelessness. Critically, they also address the complex nature of youth homelessness.

A steering group has been established under the auspices of the national homeless action committee, NHAC, to drive the delivery of all actions within the strategy. The membership consists of representatives from relevant Government Departments and agencies, local authorities, NGO members of NHAC and a youth organisation. Two quarterly meetings of the steering group have taken place at which actions were discussed and progressed. One of the key actions in the strategy is to develop a pilot of a housing-led intervention, supported housing for youth, SHY.

SHY will be a housing-led intervention for young people who are homeless or who are identified as a vulnerable cohort within the strategy and who may be at risk of experiencing homelessness in the future. It will provide a range of accommodation options, including shared accommodation and one-bedroom units, as well as supports to build on the clients' strengths, skills and relationships to enable them to fully integrate into their community and engage with education and the marketplace. Participation in SHY will be time-limited with the end goal being that the client is in a position to live independently. That time limit is really important in terms of building people's resilience and not having to become dependent on the very supports that there are to assist them. The SHY project is progressing well, a series of meetings have already taken place with a focus on eligibility, conditions and supported transitioning.