Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

61. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of Housing First tenancies delivered in each county to date in 2022, in tabular form. [55841/22]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Housing First recognises that a stable home provides the basis for recovery in other areas. With Housing First, the priority is to support a person who has experienced homelessness into permanent housing as quickly as possible, without any preconditions around addiction or mental health treatment. Then, intensive work continues on these issues once they are housed. Housing First has been a key element of Government homelessness policy.

The Housing First approach to addressing homelessness places direct access to housing first and foremost for vulnerable individuals using homeless services consistently or intermittently over long periods of time, and those unable or resistant to accessing homeless services and who may then become habitual rough sleepers. These individuals often have complex high support needs such as mental or physical health problems, addiction issues or dual diagnosis (the presence of mental ill health and a substance addiction).

Housing for All - a New Housing Plan for Ireland committed to the further expansion of Housing First. A new National Implementation Plan, which provides for a further 1,319 tenancies covering the period 2022-2026, was published in December 2021. The new Plan outlines the targets for each region and in each year. In 2022, it is aimed to create a total of 282 Housing First tenancies.

Data on the number of Housing First tenancies created are published every three months as part of my Department's Homeless Quarterly Progress Reports. At the end of Quarter 3 2022, a total of 165 Housing First tenancies had been created since the beginning of 2022.

The table below provides details on the number of tenancies created to end Q3 2022 in each county.