Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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680. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the impact of child homelessness on education access and well-being, and what cross-departmental supports are in place between the Department of Housing and Children’s portfolios. [23333/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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My Department’s role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of local authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual local authorities.

Addressing homelessness is a priority for this Government. The Programme for Government includes a number of commitments to address homelessness, including ensuring that there is sufficient emergency accommodation for those who require it with special supports for children impacted by homelessness.

An allocation of €303 million has been made available under Budget 2025 to provide homeless prevention services, emergency accommodation and other services for households experiencing homelessness. The 2025 allocation includes funding for 36 family hubs operational across the country. While hubs are emergency accommodation, they provide a greater level of stability than is possible in emergency hotel accommodation, with the capacity to provide appropriate play-space, cooking and laundry facilities, and communal recreation space, while move-on options to homes are identified and secured. More intensive assistance in terms of welfare, health and housing services are also supplied through family hubs.

Tusla Education Support Service (TESS) has three strands, namely the Statutory Educational Welfare Service (EWS) and the two school support services the Home School Community Liaison Scheme (HSCL) and the School Completion Programme (SCP). The three TESS strands work together collaboratively with schools, families and other relevant services to achieve the best educational outcomes for children and young people. Urban primary schools and all post-primary schools designated as DEIS can avail of Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) scheme and School Completion Programme supports provided by TESS to assist with school attendance, retention and progression, which can be areas of particular challenge to pupils experiencing homelessness. Educational Welfare Officers (EWO) work with DEIS and non DEIS schools, relevant state agencies and support services, providing support to families that are experiencing homelessness.

I am continuing to work closely with the National Homeless Action Committee, which I chair, to ensure that there is a continued focus by the various stakeholders on cross-collaboration and additional measures that we can take to eradicate homelessness. The Department of Education, the Department of Children and Tusla are all represented on this Committee. Further information on the work of this Committee is available on my Department’s website here: www.gov.ie/en/publication/aad47-national-homeless-action-committee/.