Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
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32. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government how his Department is prioritising people with disabilities who have received notices to quit and who are at risk of entering homelessness; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [65851/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Delivering Homes, Building Communities, published 13 November 2025, recognises that homelessness is the single most pressing social issue and introduces a number of key measures to address homelessness.

Prevention of homelessness in the first instance is an absolute priority. There are many preventions initiatives already underway in my own Department and across Government. This includes the provision of social and affordable housing, the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) and homeless HAP, and strong tenancy protection legislation. My Department is committed to developing a national Homelessness Prevention Framework within which homelessness can be prevented in a structured and planned way with tailored prevention measures for each potential at risk cohort. This Framework will be in place in 2026.

In Delivering Homes, Building Communities, the Government, has reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the Second Hand Social Housing Acquisitions Programme. The priority aim of the programme will continue to be supporting individuals and families in the most challenging and precarious of housing situations, with a particular focus on exiting individuals and families from long-term homeless accommodation. This priority category of the Second Hand Social Housing Acquisitions Programme also primarily supports the CAS-funded acquisitions for disability-related situations undertaken by AHBs with local authority support. With regard to tenancy sustainment (tenant-in-situ), the Second Hand Social Housing Acquisitions Programme will continue to support this priority category, as a necessary last resort policy tool, available to local authorities to help prevent individuals or families falling into homelessness.

My Department jointly published the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People (NHSDP) 2022-2027 and Implementation Plan with the Department of Health and the Department of Children, Disability, and Equality. The Strategy and Implementation Plan may be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/publication/60d76-national-housing-strategy-for-disabled-people-2022-2027/ The Strategy and Implementation Plan sets out the actions to achieve the vision of the joint Strategy for delivering housing and related supports for disabled people to 2027, operating under the new housing plan Delivering Homes, Building Communities.