Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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237. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the steps he has taken to reduce the number families made homeless because of domestic/sexual/gender-based abuse. [53989/25]

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

Budget 2026 has continued the record level of investment in social housing, with €2.9bn in capital allocated to support the delivery of social homes by local authorities. This continued investment in the social housing programme will increase the supply of stock available to allocate to households on the social housing waiting list, including households in emergency accommodation.

Budget 2026 provides an allocation of €513.5m to provide homeless emergency accommodation and supports. Capital funding of €50m has been allocated to support the provision of quality emergency and transitional accommodation. A key focus of local authorities and their service delivery partners is to support households in emergency accommodation to exit emergency accommodation to a tenancy.

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. I invited Cuan, the statutory Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence agency under the remit of the Department of Justice, to join the National Homeless Action Committee in September 2025.

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.

The response to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (DSGBV) is a cross-Departmental and multi-agency issue, with overall policy coordinated by the Department of Justice. Responsibility for the development and provision of services to support victims rests with my colleague the Minister for Justice working in conjunction with Cuan.

In 2017, my Department issued policy and procedural guidance to local authorities relating to the role they can play to assist victims of domestic violence. The issuing of this 2017 policy and guidance was a significant action in the second national strategy on DSGBV 2016-2021, and has since played an important role in addressing the housing needs of victims and survivors of DSGBV, providing direction to local authorities in supporting victims of domestic violence. It covers a range of scenarios that may arise for victims of domestic violence currently in receipt of social housing support and those seeking social housing supports. These include provisions around the use of the Housing Assistance Payment scheme, or the Rental Accommodation Scheme, where a victim has a joint interest in the family home, or ownership of alternative accommodation, but would otherwise qualify for social housing support.

In June 2022, the Department of Justice published Zero Tolerance, the Third National Strategy on DSGBV 2022-2026 which is a cross-Departmental and multi-agency plan with overall policy coordinated by the Department of Justice. As an action in this strategy, my Department committed to a review of the 2017 Policy and Procedural Guidance for Housing Authorities in relation to assisting victims of domestic violence with emergency and long-term accommodation needs in order to ensure continuing effectiveness and consistency in responses to assist victims of domestic violence. My Department is currently engaging with Cuan in relation to this review and proposed recommendations arising from the review.

In terms of housing supports, applications for social housing support are assessed by the relevant local authority, in accordance with the eligibility and need criteria set down in section 20 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and the associated Social Housing Assessment Regulations 2011, as amended. It is a matter for the local authority to determine the most appropriate form of social housing support for that household in the administrative area of that local authority. Decisions on the allocation of social housing support are a matter solely for the local authority concerned. Each application must be considered on its own merits and the individual circumstances taken into account. Local authorities will prioritise allocations to those households they consider to be most in need, which can include victims of domestic violence.

The HAP Place Finder service assists households in or at immediate risk of homelessness primarily by providing access to deposits and advance rental payments. These elements are the core financial supports and are available to prospective tenants in all local authority areas. To qualify for specific additional supports available to homeless households, a household must have been determined by the relevant local authority to be homeless within the meaning of section 2 of the Housing Act 1988. The operation of local homeless services, including the Place Finder Service, is a matter for each local authority.

Since 11 July 2022, each local authority has statutory discretion to agree to a HAP payment up to 35% above the prescribed maximum rent limit. Up to 50% discretion can be provided in the case of homeless households in the Dublin region. It is a matter for the local authority to determine, whether, and to what extent, the application of the flexibility is warranted.

My Department, working with Cuan, supports the development of Domestic Violence Refuges through the Capital Assistance Scheme. Eighteen priority areas have been identified nationally for the development of Domestic Violence Refuges.

CAS provides up to 100% capital funding to Approved Housing Bodies to advance Domestic Violence Refuge projects in partnership with Domestic Violence groups. My Department and the Housing Agency work closely with the relevant local authorities and Cuan to support, provide technical advice, and advance these projects from initial design through to construction and completion.

My Department has also published “Domestic Violence Refuge Accommodation Project Brief Design Guidelines” to assist Approved Housing Bodies and their design teams develop funding applications for Domestic Violence Refuges. My Department is also funding a project manager for such projects to help Approved Housing Bodies effectively and efficiently navigate the development process. These collaborative supports have noticeably enhanced the ability of groups to navigate early stages of project development, including with the identification and purchase of suitable sites and developing viable proposals.

Recognising the level of non-accommodation facilities needed for Domestic Violence Refuges is greater than typical social housing developments, my Department provides 100% CAS funding which also covers the full costs of ancillary services for residents, such as counselling rooms, children’s spaces and secure outdoor spaces. This is a departure from the normal CAS model, which usually provides reduced funding support for non-accommodation facilities, and ensures there isn't an undue fundraising burden placed on Domestic Violence Groups advancing priority refuge projects.

In addition to the above supports, a new protocol was established in 2020 when the Minister for Social Protection agreed to make rent supplement more accessible to victims of domestic violence. This measure aims to ensure that they are not prevented from leaving their homes because of financial or accommodation difficulties.