Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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17. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 159 of 8 February 2017, if he will not be setting up any sort of hostel type accommodation for families experiencing homelessness in order to meet his target of ending the use of commercial hotels to accommodate homeless families by July 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8833/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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It is fully recognised that the period of time that homeless families spend in hotel accommodation should be minimised. This is reflected in the commitment in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness that by mid-2017, hotels should only be used in exceptional circumstances as emergency accommodation for families. It is intended that the long-term housing needs of homeless families will be met through a range of social housing supports, such as the enhanced Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) scheme, and general social housing allocations. The increases in Rent Supplement and Housing Assistance Payment levels from 1 July 2016, along with the recent rent predictability measures which include designated rent pressure zones, are playing an important role in terms of supporting families to remain in rented accommodation. The Dublin Region homeless pilot of HAP saw over 800 independent tenancies created for homeless households in 2016. A further 1,200 tenancies are targeted for 2017 across the Dublin Region and this is on track for delivery, with over 300 tenancies for homeless households having been put in place since 1 January 2017. In addition to the usual local authority delivery channels, it is also expected that the Housing Agency programme to acquire 1,600 units will make a significant contribution.

To mitigate the issues associated with the volume of homeless families currently accommodated in inappropriate commercial hotel arrangements, in addition to the actions outlined above, housing authorities are pursuing a range of supported temporary accommodation initiatives. These supported temporary accommodation arrangements will provide accommodation for homeless families with a greater level of stability than is possible in hotel accommodation, 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.