Derek Keating (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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780. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide a comprehensive report on the measures that have been undertaken to deal with the issue of homelessness, particularly in view of the increase in homelessness as a consequence of the rising cost of rented sector accommodation, allied to the increase in the numbers of persons sleeping rough, and furthermore, given the change from the winter season, which of these measures will remain in place, and the supports available to assist in the prevention of homelessness, when encountered with unreasonable rent increases [14233/15]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary North, Labour)
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The Implementation Plan on the State's Response to Homelessnesswas published in May 2014 and sets out the Government's approach to delivery on its objective of ending involuntary long-term homelessness by the end of 2016. A copy of this plan is available on my Department's website at the following link:

This plan sets out a range of measures to secure a ring-fenced supply of accommodation to house homeless households within the next three years and mobilise the necessary supports.

On 4 December 2014, I hosted a special Summit on Homelessness to reaffirm the Government's commitment to end involuntary long-term homelessness by the end of 2016. A number of actions arising from the Summit were considered at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy and Public Service Reform on 8 December and were then formalised into an Action Plan to Address Homelessnesswhich was noted by the Government at its meeting on 9 December 2014. A copy of the action plan is available on my Department’s website at the link provided above.

Progress in implementing both of these plans is reported through the Cabinet Committee on Social Policy and Public Service Reform, and copies of the progress reports to the Cabinet Committee are also available on my Department’s website at the link provided above.

The long-term solution to homelessness is to increase the supply of homes. In November 2014 I launched the Government’s Social Housing Strategy: 2020. This is a six-year strategy intended to deliver over 110,000 social housing tenancies, through the provision of 35,000 new social housing units, at a cost of €3.8 billion, and by meeting the housing needs of some 75,000 households through the Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme.