Minister to allocate extra €4m for Dublin homeless budget

Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly will this morning announce an additional €4 million to keep homeless services open in Dublin until the end of the year.

In recognition of the deepening housing crisis in the capital, the Minister is allocating a supplementary sum to Dublin City Council, which oversees the provision of homeless services for all four local authorities. This will be in addition to the council's normal homelessness allocation for 2014.

Pressure

With more than 300 families in emergency accommodation and more than 40 families becoming homeless every month, according to

Focus Ireland

, the pressure on the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) has been acute.

Sources in the DRHE have in recent weeks expressed concern about their capacity to maintain funding to services to the end of the year.

While it spent €1.3 million on emergency accommodation for families last year, it was projecting a spend this year of more than €4.5 million, though it is likely to exceed this by year end.

"This further significant allocation demonstrates the Government's commitment to tackling the homelessness problem which is most acute in the Dublin region," said Mr Kelly last night.

“I am very much aware of Dublin City Council’s difficulties in funding its homelessness programme and, in particular, the costs of emergency accommodation arising from the increasing number of families presenting as homeless.”

He said he was particularly concerned about families in emergency accommodation, describing the situation as “unsustainable”.

“Families need to be provided with a home environment rather than a hotel. I acknowledge that housing supply, particularly in Dublin, is challenging and the Government is addressing the housing supply issue both in Dublin and nationally.”