Sandra McLellan (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 48: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the Towards 2016 aim of ensuring that no person is in emergency accommodation for longer than an emergency; if he aims to achieve this within its lifetime; and the measures being taken to ensure this happens. [11517/11]

Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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The situation of homeless persons in emergency accommodation for protracted periods is a matter of particular concern to me and in this regard the commitment in the Programme for Government to review and update the existing homeless strategy is timely as Departments and agencies, together with community and voluntary service providers, are midway through the implementation of The Way Home - A Strategy to Address Adult Homelessness 2008-2013 .

From my initial discussions with the sector, the appropriate strategies are largely underway, including measures to end involuntary rough sleeping and to improve delivery of mainstream housing to enable those residing in emergency homeless accommodation to move on to independent living.

However, key targets intended to be met by end 2010 have not been achieved and the current strategy review will take account of demands on existing housing, will assess how to best provide additional services and will ensure more effective prevention strategies. The Government will work with the sector to aggressively target the root causes of homelessness.

As part of the updated strategy, a 'housing first' approach to accommodating homeless people will be introduced. In this way we will be able to offer homeless people suitable, long term housing in the first instance and radically reduce the use of hostel accommodation and the associated costs for the Exchequer.

Following consultation within the sector, and in parallel with the Government's expenditure review, I intend to complete the homeless strategy review and introduce an updated strategy this autumn, including clear performance targets and associated timelines.