Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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758. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of housing first tenancies that will be made available in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area in the next year. [23985/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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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 committed to the further expansion of Housing First. The current National Implementation Plan, provides for a further 1,319 tenancies covering the period 2022-2026, and was published in December 2021. This Plan outlines the targets for each region and in each year. The Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown area has a target of 17 Housing First tenancies in 2025.

The Programme for Government, Securing Ireland’s Future, commits to creating 2,000 Housing First tenancies to help eliminate long term homelessness.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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759. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government to offer guidance on how individuals can be referred for consideration for a housing first tenancy. [23986/25]

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.

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.

Housing First service providers assess rough sleepers and long-term users of emergency accommodation for suitability for Housing First and if they meet the criteria they are supported to access Housing First units. These criteria are further outlined in the Housing First Manual for Ireland, which is available at the following link: www.housingagency.ie/sites/default/files/A_HOUSING_FIRST_MANUAL_IRELAND.pdf.