Paul Lawless
Ceist:772. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Justice the percentage of persons that leave the prison service and enter homelessness. [2144/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 5 February 2025
Ceisteanna (772)
Freagraí scríofa
As the Deputy will appreciate, measures to address homelessness and the provision of accommodation to persons vulnerable to homelessness are the responsibility of the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government.
The Irish Prison Service does maintain regular contact with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and local authorities regarding the release of prisoners who have identified themselves to the Irish Prison Services as homeless or at risk of homelessness. I am advised that all releases are planned in order to help offenders to make informed and effective transitions from prison to the community.
I am further advised that local authorities maintain statistics regarding people accessing homeless services on the “PASS” system, and the Irish Prison Service does not have access to this information.
It is entirely at the discretion of the individual in custody whether or not they choose to disclose their homeless status to prison authorities throughout their sentence. When a sentenced prisoner informs prison authorities that they were homeless prior to coming into custody, or that they are at risk of homelessness on release, they are referred to the prison-based Resettlement Service. The Resettlement Service works with the prisoner and the relevant local authority to complete their social housing application and identify possible accommodation solutions in preparation for their release and reintegration into the community.
I am advised that in 2024, a total of 6,885 individuals accounted for 8,126 releases from custody, as a person can be committed on more than one occasion within a calendar year. In 2024 on committal into custody, 748 individuals reported their address as No Fixed Abode. This information does not include prisoners who did not declare their homeless status to prison authorities prior to release, or prisoners who chose not to avail of the assistance of the Resettlement Service, as this information is not available.
317 individuals that exited prison in 2024 sought the assistance of the Resettlement Service prior to their release, completed an application for social housing and were released from prison to attend public housing appointments for emergency homeless accommodation.
The Irish Prison Service advises that the application for social housing can be submitted months or days in advance of the release date, dependent on the timing of the prisoner’s voluntary declaration of homelessness, which influences opportunities for response.