HOMELESS ORGANISATIONS are planning to lease out around 1,000 tenancies for homeless people in the Dublin area as part of a new strategy to provide vulnerable people with long-term housing.
The move represents a major shift towards the use of private-rented accommodation and other tenancies and away from the use of emergency hostel beds or BBs.
The Homeless Agency, which is is responsible for the planning, co-ordination and administration of funding for services in the Dublin area, said the move would be funded by “reconfiguring” current resources.
Cathal Morgan, the agency’s director, said the main focus of the new model was to prevent homelessness and speed up the journey out of homelessness for those who experience it.
“Homeless services are to be reconfigured to ensure that we will be able to increase the number of people who can gain access to long-term housing with supports provided in their own home, and minimise the time people are staying in an emergency situations,” Mr Morgan said.
The plan dovetails with the Government’s five-year homeless strategy, which also seeks to shift more resources towards the use of longer-term housing solutions.
The Homeless Agency said the success of the model is dependent on the resources available. It said it was crucial these resources are protected and maintained to facilitate the many policy and service delivery changes needed.
One of the new services which will help realise the aim of the strategy is the Slí scheme, aimed at homeless people progressing on to independent living in mainstream housing. Launching it yesterday, Minister for State with responsibility for housing Michael Finneran said the service will help progress as many as 50 homeless households to mainstream housing over the coming weeks.
“I am glad to say that the Slí scheme will get under way immediately in Dublin,” he said. “Assessment of the support requirements of further residents in private emergency accommodation will begin immediately, with a target of around 75 assessments to be completed over the next month.”
Overall, a target of 300 households to benefit from the scheme has been set for 2009.
He said the scheme will be stepped up progressively over the coming months and arrangements for implementation in centres outside Dublin will be pursued with the relevant local authorities. Other means of providing long-term housing for people leaving homelessness will also be fully explored, Mr Finneran added.