John Curran (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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282. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the stage at which his Department and the Department of Health are at in relation to providing a new supported model of housing for elderly persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20329/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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Government policy, as expressed in the Programme for Government and in the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, is to support older people to live in their own home with dignity and independence for as long as possible.

In this context, my Department, in conjunction with the Department of Health, is currently exploring policy options including supported housing/housing with care so that older people have a wider range of housing options and choices available to them. A cross Department/Agency steering group chaired by my Department with representatives from the Department of Health, the Department of Community and Rural Development,  the Health Service Executive, the Housing Agency and other key stakeholders was established in 2017 to consider the issues and to provide input into the drafting of a policy statement on housing options for older people. 

The draft statement, which will be jointly published by my Department and the Department of Health, is currently being finalised and I expect it to be ready for publication shortly. This will be a first step in the broader process of seeking to ensure that older people are provided with appropriate accommodation options suited to their needs. The policy statement will set out a framework by which the Government can facilitate housing, including housing with care, for older people having regard to current demographics and looking at best practice models. The aim is to ensure that people can grow older and live in a community of their choosing, with dignity and independence.

Part of the St. Michael’s Estate site in Inchicore, owned by Dublin City Council, has been identified as a 'Housing with Support' demonstration project under Rebuilding Ireland. It will deliver 52 homes and is intended to set a new standard for the future of housing provision for older people and to act as an exemplar for others to follow. 

The ‘Housing with Support’ model brings together a range of services and supports - principally relating to housing, community, social and care needs - that enables older persons to live full lives in their own homes within their own community, thereby both promoting independence and reducing or deferring the need to move into long term residential care. The overall aim is to develop a new model of housing for older people where the key components, physical environment and care supports are provided on-site, integrated into the community and are designed with older people at the core. 

The project has been approved for funding of almost €15 million under my Department’s Capital Assistance Scheme with a contribution of €450,000 from the HSE towards additional communal facilities for the residents. Circle Voluntary Housing Association and Alone have been commissioned to design, build and operate the project.