Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2026
550. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the breakdown of emergency accommodation provision by type, including hotels, bed and breakfast accommodation, family hubs and other facilities; the proportion of total capacity each represents; and whether any policy exists to reduce reliance on higher-cost accommodation types; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33267/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department's role in relation to homelessness involves the provision of a national framework of policy, legislation and funding to underpin the role of housing authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual housing authorities. Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988 sets out the purposes for which costs may be incurred by housing authorities in respect of the provision of homeless accommodation and related services.
While responsibility for the provision of accommodation for homeless persons rests with individual housing authorities, the administration of homeless services is organised on a regional basis, with nine administrative regions in place. A homelessness consultative forum has been established in each region in accordance with Chapter 6 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2009. It is a matter for the management group of the consultative forum, in the first instance, to determine the type and range of homeless services including emergency accommodation, operational matters such as the proportion of total capacity each represents, and the funding required to address homelessness in each region.
My Department does not hold all the information requested. My Department currently gathers and publishes data on a monthly basis on the number of homeless persons accommodated in 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 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 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 https://data.gov.ie/.
Financial reports from each of the homeless regions, setting out expenditure on homeless accommodation and related services including the types of homeless services are published on my Department's website at the following link; www.housing.gov.ie/housing/homelessness/other/homelessness-data.
My Department does not procure or tender for emergency accommodation services directly. The Department contributes to the overall expenditure incurred by housing authorities in the provision of services. Housing authorities are working hard to negotiate value for money in proposals for emergency accommodation and are seeking to enter into contractual arrangements that offer value for money, where feasible.
Budget 2026 provides a total allocation of €563.5m to address homelessness. This includes €50 million in capital funding which will allow local authorities and Approved Housing Bodies to invest in the construction or acquisition of properties suitable for use as accommodation for homelessness purposes.
