Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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235. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 47 of 28 November 2017, if she will report to Dáil Éireann on the findings of the study co-funded by her Department on food access and nutritional health among families living in hotel accommodation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52160/17]

Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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The Food Access and Nutritional Health among Families in Emergency Homeless Accommodation report by Dr Michelle Share and Ms Marita Hennessy was published in August of this year. The report, which was jointly funded by the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and the Department of Health, outlined the negative impact food poverty has on the health and well-being of children living in emergency homeless accommodation in Dublin. The report highlighted the lack of access to cooking and storage facilities for families living in hotels and B&Bs. For those who were provided with meals there were also issues around the lack of control that they had over their own, and their children’s, food choices and not being able to eat in socially acceptable circumstances as a family.

The report made a number of recommendations regarding:

- Recognition of the severe challenges of homelessness for families in emergency accommodation;

- Standards in emergency accommodation; and

- Emergency accommodation as a temporary measure.

The report was commissioned by Focus Ireland and is available on their website at

.

This Government recognises that hotels are inappropriate for accommodating homeless families for anything other than a short period of time and this is reflected in the Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, Rebuilding Ireland. As part of the response to the commitment contained in Rebuilding Ireland that commercial hotels and B&B's should only be used as emergency accommodation for families in limited circumstances, housing authorities are delivering a number of family-focused, supported temporary accommodation facilities, also referred to as ‘family hubs’. There are currently more than ten such facilities in operation providing temporary accommodation to more than 300 families. These custom developed hub facilities offer temporary living arrangements for families that have a greater level of stability than is possible in hotel accommodation, including providing for cooking facilities and dining space.