Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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769. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government the planned or indicative tenancy period for persons who are allocated modular housing; the planned period for the use of such homes as emergency accommodation; and his plans to wind down these schemes once the housing crisis has abated. [6054/16]

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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My Department’s role in relation to 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 in relation to the provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities.

With regard to rapid-delivery housing, Government has approved the delivery of 500 units of rapid-delivery housing for homeless households across Dublin. This programme of rapid-delivery housing provision is being implemented to mitigate the issues associated with an increasing volume of homeless households accommodated in inappropriate commercial hotel arrangements. The units will provide emergency accommodation for those families currently in hotels in the first instance, offering a greater level of stability while move-on options to long-term independent living are identified and secured. Furthermore, such arrangements will facilitate more coordinated needs assessment and support planning for access to all required services, including welfare, health and housing services. The temporary assignment of these units to homeless households, and the duration of occupancy by them, is a matter for housing authorities. Given that the units will have a 50 to 60 year lifespan, it is intended that they will be available to local authorities for social housing use when they’re no longer required to facilitate homeless families moving from hotels.