Major problems with Offaly's homelessness strategy outlined in new Plan

A recent meeting was told that there are major problems with Offaly's homelessness strategy, with insufficient funding and insufficient facilities being two big issues.
The points were made in the Midland Regional Homelessness Action Plan 2025 to 2029, a very detailed, excellent plan which was presented to Offaly County Council's councillors during their May monthly meeting in Birr Library last week.
Barry Lennon, Director of Services, told the meeting that the Action Plan is inspired by the Lisbon Declaration on the European Platform on Combatting Homelessness, agreed by Member States in June 2021; which aims to end homelessness by 2030. The Declaration states that: “No one should sleep rough due to lack of accessible, safe, and appropriate emergency accommodation. No one should live in emergency or transitional accommodation longer than necessary to transition to a permanent housing solution. No one should be discharged from any institution (eg prison, hospital, care facility) without an offer of appropriate housing. Evictions should be prevented whenever possible, and no one should be evicted without assistance for an appropriate housing solution when needed. No one should be discriminated against due to their homelessness.”
Mr Lennon said the Action Plan prioritises the Housing First model, which focusses on providing permanent, secure housing to individuals who are homeless, particularly those with complex needs. This approach includes wraparound supports, such as mental health and addiction services, to help individuals maintain their housing. “A substantial increase,” he said, “in the delivery of social and affordable housing is central to the plan. The goal is to build enough housing to meet the needs of those on waiting lists and reduce reliance on emergency accommodation. The establishment of the National Homeless Action Committee (NHAC) ensures coordinated efforts across different government departments and agencies, focussing on implementing the homelessness-related measures in the Housing for All plan. Housing for All aims to deliver 90,000 new social housing units by the end of 2030. €12 billion was allocated through the National Development Plan to support social and affordable housing measures from 2021 to 2025.”
The Action Plan points out that the following bodies in the Midlands Region are involved in the delivery of homeless services: Midlands Simon Community; DePaul; Temporary Emergency Accommodation Mullingar (TEAM); Longford Women's Link; Oaklee Housing Association; and Tullamore Housing Association.
The Midland region has five emergency accommodation facilities including Cill Bhríde in Tullamore. Local Authorities in the region further provide private emergency accommodation via the provision of hotel and B&B placements when needed. The period from 2016 to 2024 saw an increased need to provide more private emergency accommodation across the region due to pressures on emergency facilities.
There's a Regional Resettlement Service, which includes four workers across the region, each with a caseload of 20. There's a Complex Case Workers (Housing First) service, which includes two workers across the region, each with a caseload of ten.
The HSE further funds two Community Liaison Nurses servicing Longford / Westmeath and Laois / Offaly as well as a public health nurse for the Traveller community.
The Midland Region, encompassing Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath, spans 6,652 square kilometres and serves a population of 291,941 (CSO 2016).
Since 2021 the Department of Housing has substantially increased the funding which it gives to the four Midland counties for tackling homelessness. In 2021 the allocation was €2,289,840. In 2023 it was €5,324,479.
The Plan points out a major flaw in the government's current approach to this crisis. It points to the fact that “The absence of dedicated facilities for homeless families in the region necessitates the use of B&Bs and hotel rooms, which are more expensive.”
It adds that, “Despite relatively small numbers of homeless individuals in the region (185 adults and 70 children according to the most recent figures), emergency accommodation providers heavily rely on fundraising to support their services. This practice is unsustainable and poses a risk to the continued operation of these facilities.”
The large, rural nature of the region exacerbates the strain on homeless services and funding. Access to services is challenging due to the geographic spread, which increases operational costs and complicates service delivery.
“The extended stay of individuals in Department of Housing / Local Authority accommodation due to a lack of alternative housing solutions has led to increased expenditure. This issue highlights a mismatch between funding levels and the capacity of existing facilities.
“The heavy reliance on emergency accommodation points to a systemic issue with the availability and adequacy of permanent housing solutions. The lack of dedicated facilities for homeless families further exacerbates this problem.
“The dependence on fundraising to meet basic needs for emergency accommodation reflects a fundamental gap in sustainable funding and resources.”
The Action Plan wants the government to invest in and established dedicated facilities for homeless families to reduce reliance on costly emergency accommodations like B&Bs and hotels.
Service delivery in rural areas needs to be improved, through increased regional support or mobile services.
Dependency on fundraising should be reduced, the Plan states, and the long-term sustainability of emergency accommodation services should be ensured.
Cllr Seán O'Brien welcomed the new Action Plan. “I have confidence,” he remarked, “that this is a genuine effort to address the homelessness problem in the four counties. Early intervention is key. Sometimes people feel they can't go to family members for help.”
Cllr Peter Ormond said that the Housing Strategic Policy Committee, of which he is a member, had had a number of “robust discussions” about this topic.