Joe Cooney (Clare, Fine Gael)
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1284. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the immediate measures being implemented to address the homeless status of 5,000 children in Ireland. [47027/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Supporting individuals and families experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness is a priority for Government. Critical to addressing homelessness is increasing the supply of housing.

A record level of capital investment is being provided in 2025 with overall capital funding available of almost €6.8 billion to support the delivery of social, affordable and cost rental homes. Housing supply has increased significantly since the publication of Housing for All in 2021. In particular, 32,787 social homes have been delivered through Build, Acquisition and Leasing schemes from 2022 to 2024. This increased supply of social housing is supporting the increased allocation of homes to households on the social housing waiting list, including households in emergency accommodation.   

Ireland signed the Lisbon Declaration in June 2021, which committed all signatories to work towards ending homelessness by 2030. The Government reaffirmed Ireland’s commitment to the Lisbon Declaration in the Programme for Government. 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 Programme for Government also sets out a number of additional measures which the Government will take to address homelessness, including commitments to provide special supports for children impacted by homelessness, focussing social housing allocations on getting families out of long-term homelessness, and ensuring a holistic, cross departmental approach to homelessness prevention. These commitments will be reflected in the new Housing Plan.