Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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396. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government whether local authorities operate any dedicated housing priority pathways for care leavers or care-experienced young adults at risk of homelessness; the number currently supported under such pathways; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41128/26]

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 local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual local authorities.

The allocation of local authority dwellings, including the prioritisation of certain categories of households, is a matter for the local authority concerned, in accordance with their allocation scheme made under Section 22 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 and associated Regulations.

This legislation requires all local authorities, as a reserved function, to make an allocation scheme which specifies, among other things, the manner of and the order of priority for the allocation of dwellings to households on the housing and transfer lists. An allocation scheme may also contain provisions for exceptional or emergency cases, allowing immediate housing outside of normal waiting list priorities, should circumstances warrant it. Decisions on the allocation of social housing support are a matter solely for the local authority concerned.

Under my Department's Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS), capital funding of up to 100% of project costs may be advanced by local authorities to Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) to provide housing for specific categories of housing need, which can include persons leaving State care. Under this category, where a local authority is informed by Tusla that there is a need for accommodation for people aged 18-21 (or up to 23 if in education/training) leaving State care and who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, it may invite AHBs to apply for CAS funding to provide appropriate accommodation.

A national Youth Homelessness Strategy was developed for the period 2023 - 2025, and aimed to help young people aged 18-24 who were experiencing or were at risk of experiencing homelessness. The Strategy recognised that there are certain cohorts of young people who are at heightened risk of homelessness or disproportionately represented in the young homeless population. Those leaving State care were one such cohort. Accordingly, Action 7 within the Strategy provided for a review and update of Housing Circular 46/2014 on the Protocol on Young People Leaving State Care. While the Youth Homelessness Strategy has now concluded, my Department continues to put a specific focus on addressing youth homelessness and a subgroup is being established under the National Homeless Action Committee to focus on youth homelessness.

My Department worked closely with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality and Tusla to develop the revised Protocol on Young People Leaving State Care. Feedback was also sought from a range of key stakeholders. The revised Protocol issued to local authorities in June 2025 and places a particular emphasis on the need to ensure a range of accommodation options for young people leaving state care and at risk of experiencing homelessness. The revised Protocol encourages local authorities to consider supported transitional and shared accommodation options, as appropriate, and to support AHBs in providing such accommodation options. The revised Protocol will be kept under review to ensure effective implementation and operation across all 31 local authorities.

While the Youth Homelessness Strategy has now concluded, I intend to ensure a continued focus on addressing youth homelessness. A subgroup will be established under the National Homeless Action Committee to focus on youth homelessness. The work of this subgroup will commence in Q3 2026.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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397. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the number of care-experienced young adults currently accessing emergency accommodation, supported temporary accommodation or Housing First-type supports, broken down by local authority area where available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41129/26]

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 accommodation and related services for homeless persons rests with individual local authorities. Decisions on the assessment of households for homeless services, the most appropriate form of such support, and the allocation of that support are a matter for the local authority concerned.

My Department currently gathers and publishes data on a monthly basis on the number of homeless persons accommodated in homeless emergency accommodation funded and overseen by local authorities. These reports are based on data provided by local authorities, produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS), the single integrated national data information system on State-funded homeless emergency accommodation arrangements overseen by local authorities.

The monthly homelessness report includes details of individuals, families and the dependants of these families who accessed emergency accommodation during the relevant count week of the month in question. This report also provides a breakdown of the number of adults in emergency accommodation per accommodation type. The most recently published data is in respect of March 2026. The reports are collated on a regional basis and are available on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/collections/homelessness-data and are also published to the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation's open data portal .

My Department also publishes quarterly progress reports which summarise the data in quarterly regional performance reports submitted to the Department by the nine regional lead authorities responsible for the administration of homeless services at local level. These quarterly performance reports include details of the numbers of individuals prevented from entering emergency accommodation, and those exiting emergency accommodation into tenancies, the reason for presentation and the duration of stay in emergency accommodation.

A category for ‘Leaving an Institution – Care/Hospital/Prison/Refuge’ as a household reason for presenting and entering emergency accommodation was added to the local authority quarterly performance returns in Q3 2024.

Progress and Performance Reports are available on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/collections/homelessness-data/.

A national Youth Homelessness Strategy was developed for the period 2023 - 2025, and aimed to help young people aged 18-24 who were experiencing or were at risk of experiencing homelessness. The Strategy recognised that there are certain cohorts of young people who are at heightened risk of homelessness or disproportionately represented in the young homeless population.

The Supported Housing for Youth (SHY) pilot commenced in the Dublin region in 2024 with the aim of addressing the specific needs of young people aged 18–24 who are experiencing homelessness. Participants receive tailored supports to sustain their tenancy and access education, training, or employment. The programme is time-limited, with the goal of enabling independent living in long-term accommodation. To date, 23 young people have exited emergency accommodation and moved into SHY accommodation with wraparound supports.

In addition, Cork City Council is developing a Shared Accommodation Scheme pilot to provide transitional shared housing for young people in Cork City. This will deliver 38 single-storey modular units. It is intended that this project will provide accommodation for up to 72 young people in the 36 units with, onsite supports available via two community support units. This project will support young people to leave or avoid entering emergency accommodation. The units have been built and are now on site. An operational group has been established to support the selection of participants in this pilot. It is intended that the units will be occupied in the coming months.