Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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259. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the extent to which emergency local authority housing provision has been made in respect of each local authority with particular reference to those most affected by homelessness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8712/19]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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260. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the steps still to be taken to accommodate persons who find themselves homeless through no fault of their own while in some cases suffering from ill health; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8713/19]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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265. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of families rehoused by Kildare County Council in each of the past four years to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8718/19]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 259, 260 and 265 together.

Resolving homelessness is an absolute priority for this Government. Budget 2019 provided an allocation of €146m, an increase of over 25% on the 2018 allocation, for the provision of homeless services by the local authorities. This funding will ensure that the local authorities can provide the best possible supports to those individuals and families experiencing homelessness, until they can be supported to move to a home.

Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and associated services for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities. In 2018, my Department provided €48.5m in capital funding to local authorities for the provision of emergency accommodation. This included the provision of emergency accommodation for rough sleepers and additional family hubs to provide a more appropriate form of emergency accommodation for families experiencing homelessness.

The local authorities and their service delivery partners provide supports to all households experiencing homelessness to identify and secure an independent tenancy. In respect of those with health needs, the local authorities work closely with the HSE on the provision of emergency accommodation and related services. In September 2018, the Government published the National Implementation Plan for Housing First. Housing First provides supported tenancies for homeless individuals with complex needs by providing extensive housing and health supports. The Implementation Plan set a target for 663 tenancies to be created nationally in the three-year period to 2021 and my Department is working closely with the local authorities on the implementation of the Plan.

The exits from homelessness to independent tenancies are recorded in the quarterly performance reports submitted to my Department by each of the nine administrative regions for the delivery of homeless services. Kildare County Council is the lead authority for the Mid-East Region, which also includes Meath County Council and Wicklow County Council. The exits from homelessness for the Mid East Region from 2015 to 2018 (to end Q3) are set out in the following table.

Exits from Homelessness - Mid East Region