Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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315. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his plans to meet the housing needs of those in emergency housing accommodation or who are homeless in the course of the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52155/19]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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317. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of houses likely to become available to homeless families by county in the course of the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52157/19]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 315 and 317 together.

Supporting families experiencing homelessness is a priority for this Government. In 2016, the Government published the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan on Housing and Homelessness, which contains a range of measures to support individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

Under the legal and policy framework in place, local authorities are responsible for the provision of homeless services to households experiencing homelessness. Local authorities and their service delivery partners work with each household experiencing homelessness to identify and secure an appropriate home for that household. My Department has increased the budget available to local authorities to deliver homeless services by over 25% to €146m this year. Next year, this funding will increase by €20m to €166m. This increased funding will support increased numbers of households experiencing homelessness with the necessary supports to exit from homelessness to a home.

In the first nine months of 2018, a total of 4,389 adults and their associated dependants exited from homelessness to an independent tenancy. This is a 17% increase on the numbers recorded at the same point in 2018. The exits for this period include: 873 exits to local authority owned properties, or up 69% on the corresponding period in 2018; 691 exits to Approved Housing Body (AHB) lettings or Long Term Supported Accommodation, up 46% on the corresponding period in 2018; and 2,825 exits to private rented properties up 2% on the corresponding period in 2018.

In 2020, as we continue to increase housing output and, in particular increase the number of new social homes to 11,000, I expect to see increased exits from homelessness to all tenure types.