Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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262. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update under Housing for All to establish a new national homeless action committee. [7124/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Housing for All provides for the establishment of a National Homeless Action Committee. In line with this commitment, the National Homeless Action Committee (NHAC) was established in Q4 2021. NHAC is a cross-governmental and inter-agency oversight group with membership drawn from key Departments, agencies and stakeholders.

The overarching objective of NHAC is to ensure that a renewed emphasis is brought to collaborating across Government to implement actions in Housing for All, along with bringing better coherence and coordination of homeless-related services in delivering policy measures and actions to address homelessness. Beyond this, the Committee also has a role in addressing emerging homeless-related issues and in developing further responses. I chair the Committee which meets on a quarterly basis. Full membership as well as previous minutes of meetings of NHAC are published on my Department's website and can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/958d1-national-homeless-action-committee-nhac-meetings/.

Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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263. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide an update under Housing for All to expand street outreach teams for rough sleepers nationwide. [7125/23]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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Crucial to the success of Housing First and the achievement of the targets set out in the Housing First National Implementation Plan 2022-2026 is ensuring that the most vulnerable and most entrenched homeless individuals receive the support and engagement required. Central to this is the provision of an effective and assertive outreach service that ensures that people without shelter are linked in with appropriate housing and health services and supports and, where appropriate, put on the Housing First pathway.

There are Outreach Programmes in place across all urban centres nationally. In the Dublin region, an outreach and intensive engagement service is provided by Dublin Simon Community in partnership with the Dublin Region Homeless Executive. This service engages with adults who experience rough sleeping, supports them into temporary homeless accommodation, and makes appropriate referrals to permanent housing options, particularly Housing First.

In line with commitments made in Housing for All, The Housing Agency has completed a good practice guide for Street Outreach for local authorities. This manual will assist regions in expanding outreach services into those urban areas in which rough sleeping is understood to be a concern.

As part of their annual expenditure programmes in 2023, funding proposals have been invited from regional authorities for the provision of appropriate, fit for purpose outreach services which will engage with people who are persistently rough sleeping.