Meath experiencing a ‘persistent high level of homelessness’
There is still a “persistent high level” of homelessness in this region despite significant efforts to prevent homelessness in the first place, Meath county councillors have been told.
The council members received a presentation from council official, Joan Carroll on the Mid-East Regional Homelessness Action plan 2024-2026 prepared by the county councils of Meath, Wicklow and Kildare.
Reviewing the previous plan 2021-2023, she said that significant challenges had been faced across the region in dealing with increasing numbers of individuals and families presenting as homeless to the local authorities.
The removal of the ban on notices to quit resulted in increased presentations of families without a home.
Support for them had been provided through a number of measures including the introduction of “tenant in situ” acquisitions and the introduction of a “cost rental tenant in situ scheme” through the Housing Agency.
Further supports, including the introduction of shared housing on a pilot basis and increasing the availability of transitional units from local authority housing stock, had also proved successful, Ms Carroll said.
Relationships also continued between the local authorities and homeless service providers (voluntary bodies) and these had proved “critical” in dealing with the many and complex issues that had arisen, not least of which was access to accommodation either through local authorities, approved housing bodies, or the private rental market.
The causes of homelessnesss were complex, the councillors were told. The increase in placements in emergency accommodation had continued throughout the last action plan but an increase in resources for tenancy support since then is expected to yield positive results throughout the lifetime of the 2024-2026 plan.
An analysis of interagency collaboration on homelessness revealed a number of issues – limited access to aftercare facilities for young people aged 18-24 and young people with a disability; HAP rates not meeting market rents for available private rented properties; clients presenting with dual diagnosis; lack of facilities to support recovery from addiction; lack of accommodation options for couples/females and large family units; turnover in membership of homeless action teams; reliance on private accommodation providers.
Ms Carroll said there had been some good outcomes including significant progress in rolling out the Housing First programme with the target of 64 placements achieved; progressed implementation of the Housing First Health Monitoring tool; Mid-East prisoner protocol agreed; implementation of National Quality Standards Framework; Homeless action teams successfully operating in each of the three counties; 22 isolation units were available in the region in response to Covid; focus on move-ons from emergency accommodation via social allocations; delivery of tenant-in-situ scheme and cost rental tenant in situ referrals to the Housing Agency.
Dealing with progress made in Co Meath, the official said that new family hubs had been progressed in Navan; a tenancy sustainment service; Homeless HAP placefinder in operation; transitional emergency accommodation (15 beds) between Dublin Simon and Drogheda Homeless Aid; Aftercare facility developed in cooperation with Louth Co Council; exits from emergency accommodation ongoing; cold weather initiative in operation; 1,708 active HAP tenancies in place; additional staff resources to manage and deliver homeless services; monthly Housing First review meetings; monthly homeless action team meeting.