Written Answers Nos. 352-371
352. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the monthly breakdown, on a national basis, of adults in emergency accommodation categorised as Irish citizens, EEA/UK citizens, and Non-EEA citizens, for each month from April 2022 to the most recent date available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36231/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra354. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has considered introducing a standardised national dataset recording the immigration status of persons accessing homeless services; and if not, the reason for same. [36234/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra355. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of adults in emergency accommodation who previously resided in International Protection Accommodation Service accommodation before entering homeless services, for each of the past 24 months. [36235/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra357. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has examined the reasons why nationality data is not collected in respect of children in emergency accommodation; and whether any legal, GDPR or operational barriers have been identified. [36238/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra358. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of homeless families in emergency accommodation where at least one adult is recorded as a Non-EEA citizen, for the latest period available. [36239/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra359. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether local authorities receive guidance from his Department regarding the collection and reporting of citizenship data through PASS; and if so, to provide copies of any such guidance. [36240/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra360. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the PASS system records the duration of time spent in emergency accommodation by citizenship category; and if so, to provide the average and median duration for Irish citizens, EEA/UK citizens and Non-EEA citizens for the most recent year available. [36241/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra362. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any analysis has been undertaken regarding repeat presentations to homelessness services by persons previously accommodated through IPAS or Temporary Protection accommodation schemes. [36244/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra364. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of households entering emergency accommodation directly from private rental accommodation in each of the past 24 months, disaggregated by citizenship category where available. [36247/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra368. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of persons exiting International Protection Accommodation Service accommodation with status who subsequently entered emergency accommodation within (i) three months, (ii) six months and (iii) twelve months of exit, for each year since 2022. [36252/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra371. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the Department intends to expand published homelessness statistics to include additional demographic and migration-related indicators; and if so, the timeline for same. [36255/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra382. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any analysis has been undertaken comparing homelessness duration-of-stay outcomes by nationality, citizenship category or immigration status since 2020. [36347/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra389. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the Department receives standardised monthly reporting from each homelessness region regarding accommodation-type utilisation and occupancy rates. [36354/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 352, 354, 355, 357, 358, 359, 360, 362, 364, 368, 371, 382 and 389 together.
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.
PASS is an active case and bed management and client support system and is administrated by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE). PASS is an online, shared system utilised by the local authorities and other contracted service providers to manage bookings in State-funded homeless emergency accommodation, operated and overseen by the local authorities. My Department has no function in the operation of the PASS system.
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 https://data.gov.ie/.
Since April 2022 my Department has gathered information from local authorities on citizenship of adults accessing emergency accommodation. The citizenship information is broken down by Irish, EEA/UK and Non-EEA and is available on a regional basis at the link above. My Department does not collect or hold data on the citizenship of households, nationality of children under 18 or the immigration status of individuals accessing homeless services.
My Department also publishes quarterly progress reports which are based on quarterly performance reports submitted 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. The quarterly progress report summarises the data submitted to the Department.
Since Q2 2023, local authorities have been reporting the reasons for presentations by single adult and family households who newly enter emergency accommodation, including households who entered homeless emergency accommodation due to receipt of a notice of termination of a tenancy in the private rental market. A category for ‘Leaving Direct Provision (Within 6 Months)’ as a household reason for presenting and entering emergency accommodation was added in Q1 2024.
The individual regional quarterly performance reports include details of the reasons for presentations to homeless services by new single adult and family households who entered emergency accommodation and the number of repeat presentations in the quarter by single and family households.
The duration of stay data of single and family households is reported as six-monthly bands ranging from less than six months to more than 24 months. These bands refer to consecutive stays in emergency accommodation and are based on a point-in-time count, informed by emergency accommodation usage on the last night in the quarter.
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/.
The Housing Plan, 'Delivering Homes, Building Communities', commits to further enhancing reporting in relation to the use of local authority homeless emergency accommodation to allow for an expansion of the information gathered and increased analysis of the reasons driving new homeless presentations and the progress being made to support households to exit emergency accommodation to a tenancy.
353. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any assessment has been undertaken regarding the impact of inward migration and international protection trends on demand for emergency accommodation since 2022; and if so, to provide details of such assessments. [36233/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra361. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has assessed the proportion of demand for emergency accommodation attributable to population growth arising from inward migration since 2022; and if so, to provide details of that assessment. [36243/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra365. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has undertaken any capacity stress-testing scenarios for emergency accommodation demand arising from future migration inflows or international protection pressures. [36248/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra366. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any cross-departmental forecasting framework exists between his Department, the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and the Department of Public Expenditure in relation to future homelessness demand. [36249/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 353, 361, 365 and 366 together.
The role of my Department 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.
My Department has a number of measures in place to support the monitoring of trends, including those that are migration-related and to anticipate the future demand for homelessness accommodation.
My Department currently gathers and publishes data on a monthly basis that reports on the number of homeless persons accommodated in emergency accommodation funded and overseen by housing authorities. These reports are based on data provided by housing 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.
Since April 2022, my Department has gathered information from local authorities on citizenship of adults accessing emergency accommodation. The citizenship information is broken down by Irish, EEA/UK and Non-EEA and is available on a regional basis at the link above.
My Department also publishes quarterly progress reports which are based on quarterly performance reports submitted by the nine regional lead authorities responsible for the administration of homeless services at local level. The quarterly performance reports provide regional data on the reasons for presentation of single and family households that presented and entered emergency accommodation as well as regional data on single and family household exits from emergency accommodation to a secure tenancy.
The monthly homelessness reports and the quarterly 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/.
The Department carefully monitors the data contained in the reports to identify trends and drivers of homelessness and uses this information to support informed policies and measures to address current and emerging needs. My Department takes account of the current costs, and forecasts the projected costs, arising from the provision of emergency accommodation and related services. As part of the budgetary process, my Department engages with the Department of Public Expenditure in relation to the budget required to meet future demands.
In addition, the National Homeless Action Committee (NHAC), which I chair, is a cross-governmental and inter-agency oversight group with membership drawn from key Departments, agencies and stakeholders, including representatives from the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and the International Protection Accommodation Services.
The overarching objective of NHAC is to ensure that a renewed emphasis is brought to collaborating across government, along with bringing better coherence and coordination of homeless-related services in delivering policy measures and actions to address homelessness. Beyond this, the committee also has a role in addressing emerging homeless-related issues and in developing further responses. Full membership as well as previous minutes of meetings of NHAC are published on my Department's website and can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/publications/national-homeless-action-committee/.
356. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the National Homeless Action Committee has discussed the impact of migration-related demand on homelessness services; and if so, to provide the dates and summary outcomes of those discussions. [36236/26]
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 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 National Homeless Action Committee (NHAC), which I chair, is a cross-governmental and inter-agency oversight group with membership drawn from key Departments, agencies and stakeholders, including representatives from the Department of Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration.
The overarching objective of NHAC is to ensure that a renewed emphasis is brought to collaborating across Government, along with bringing better coherence and coordination of homeless-related services in delivering policy measures and actions to address homelessness. Beyond this, the Committee also has a role in addressing emerging homeless-related issues and in developing further responses. Full membership as well as previous minutes of meetings of NHAC are published on my Department's website and can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/publications/national-homeless-action-committee/.
363. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any guidance has been issued to local authorities regarding prioritisation, assessment or placement of persons transitioning from international protection accommodation into homeless services. [36246/26]
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 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.
Under the Housing Act 1988, it is a matter for each local authority to determine whether a person is regarded as homeless; section 2 of the Act sets out the requirements in this regard. When a household has been assessed as homeless, section 10 of the Housing Act 1988 provides that a local authority may provide accommodation and related services to that household. Decisions on the assessment of households for homeless services, the most appropriate form of such support, and the allocation of that support are matters for the local authority concerned.
Persons granted international protection status (refugee status or subsidiary protection status) can access State provided supports and services on the same basis as Irish nationals.
The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration have put arrangements in place to support households in Direct Provision with status to exit to alternative accommodation, with a number of NGOs contracted specifically to provide this support. Where the household is eligible for social housing supports, households are supported to apply for social housing where they are added to the social housing list in the relevant local authority. Eligible households can also access Homeless HAP which supports households to secure a tenancy in the private rental market.
My Department also engages with the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration in relation to homelessness and migration. My Department and the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration have been meeting bilaterally in relation to addressing the risk of homelessness for those leaving Direct Provision with status. As part of this engagement, my Department has issued an updated Guidance Note for local authority practitioners in relation to the social housing application process.
Local authorities and their service delivery partners work closely with all households in need of emergency accommodation to provide appropriate emergency accommodation, and the ultimate aim is to support them to secure an exit to a tenancy.
367. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether the National Homeless Action Committee has received any formal presentations, briefing papers or projections relating to migration-related homelessness pressures since 2022; and if so, to provide details. [36250/26]
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 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 National Homeless Action Committee (NHAC), which I chair, is a cross-governmental and inter-agency oversight group with membership drawn from key Departments, agencies and stakeholders, including representatives from the Department of Justice, Home Affairs, and Migration.
The overarching objective of NHAC is to ensure that a renewed emphasis is brought to collaborating across government, along with bringing better coherence and coordination of homeless-related services in delivering policy measures and actions to address homelessness. Beyond this, the committee also has a role in addressing emerging homeless-related issues and in developing further responses. Full membership as well as previous minutes of meetings of NHAC are published on my Department's website and can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/publications/national-homeless-action-committee/.
369. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether his Department has examined international models for integrating migration and homelessness forecasting into housing policy planning; and if so, which jurisdictions were examined. [36253/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Planning Framework (NPF), is the whole-of-Government strategy for the sustainable development of our urban and rural areas to 2040, with the core objectives of securing balanced regional development and a sustainable ‘compact growth’ approach to the form and pattern of future development. The first revision to the NPF was approved by Government and the Oireachtas in April 2025.
As part of the broader body of work undertaken to inform the first revision to the NPF, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) was engaged to provide updated population projections to 2040, based on demographic and econometric modelling, and having regard to the results of Census 2022 and other factors with potential to influence fertility, mortality and migration trends. Under the baseline scenario, the research projects that the population of the State will increase to approximately 5.7 million people by 2030 and 6.1 million by 2040. This projection forms the central core trajectory of projected population growth and underpins the strategy set out in the First Revision to the NPF.
The Government's new housing plan, Delivering Homes, Building Communities, is an integrated housing and homelessness plan that reaffirms the whole-of-Government approach to addressing the housing crisis. It sets a target of at least 300,000 homes to be delivered over its lifetime.
With regard to monitoring homelessness data and trends, my Department currently gathers and publishes data on a monthly basis that reports on the number of homeless persons accommodated in emergency accommodation funded and overseen by housing authorities. These reports are based on data provided by housing 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.
My Department also publishes quarterly progress reports which are based on quarterly performance reports submitted by the nine regional lead authorities responsible for the administration of homeless services at local level. The quarterly performance reports provide regional data on the reasons for presentation of single and family households that presented and entered emergency accommodation as well as regional data on single and family household exits from emergency accommodation to a secure tenancy. For information, the monthly homelessness reports and the quarterly 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/
My Department carefully monitors the data contained in monthly homelessness reports and the quarterly performance reports to identify trends and drivers of homelessness and uses this information to support informed policies and measures to address current and emerging needs. My Department takes account of the current costs, and forecasts the projected costs, arising from the provision of emergency accommodation and related services.
My Department is also currently working collaboratively with a wide range of other Government departments, led by the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, to develop a National Migration and Integration Strategy detailing how Government intends to meet the demands and the opportunities facing Ireland’s society and economy over the next decade with the aim to publish Ireland’s first overarching whole-of-government National Migration and Integration Strategy later this year.
370. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage whether any formal risk assessment has been carried out regarding the sustainability of emergency accommodation capacity under projected population growth trends. [36254/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe role of my Department 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.
My Department has a number of measures in place to support the monitoring of trends and to anticipate the future demand for homelessness accommodation.
My Department currently gathers and publishes data on a monthly basis that reports on the number of homeless persons accommodated in emergency accommodation funded and overseen by housing authorities. These reports are based on data provided by housing 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.
My Department also publishes quarterly progress reports which are based on quarterly performance reports submitted by the nine regional lead authorities responsible for the administration of homeless services at local level. The quarterly performance reports provide regional data on the reasons for presentation of single and family households that presented and entered emergency accommodation as well as regional data on single and family household exits from emergency accommodation to a secure tenancy.
The monthly homelessness reports and the quarterly 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/].
The Department carefully monitors the data contained in the reports to identify trends and drivers of homelessness and uses this information to support informed policies and measures to address current and emerging needs. My Department takes account of the current costs, and forecasts the projected costs, arising from the provision of emergency accommodation and related services. As part of the budgetary process, my Department engages with the Department of Public Expenditure in relation to the budget required to meet future demands.
In addition, the National Homeless Action Committee (NHAC), which I chair, is a cross-governmental and inter-agency oversight group with membership drawn from key Departments, agencies and stakeholders, including representatives from the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and the International Protection Accommodation Services.
The overarching objective of NHAC is to ensure that a renewed emphasis is brought to collaborating across government, along with bringing better coherence and coordination of homeless-related services in delivering policy measures and actions to address homelessness. Beyond this, the committee also has a role in addressing emerging homeless-related issues and in developing further responses. Full membership as well as previous minutes of meetings of NHAC are published on my Department's website and can be found at the following link: [www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/publications/national-homeless-action-committee/].
