Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 June 2023
341. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage to list all registered charities working in the area of housing or homelessness his Department has engaged with from 2020 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30534/23]
View answer342. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the overall number of registered charities operating in the area of housing and homelessness, and whether there are too many such bodies operating at present; whether the sector would benefit from some mergers to achieve economies of scale and to avoid duplication of their work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30535/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 341 and 342 together.
As provided for in the Housing (Regulation of Approved Housing Bodies) Act 2019, the Approved Housing Bodies Regulatory Authority (AHBRA) was formally established on 1 February 2021. AHBRA is an independent body tasked with providing the regulation of Approved Housing Bodies (AHBs) for the purposes of protecting housing assets provided or managed by such bodies.
The register of AHBs previously managed by my Department was officially transferred to AHBRA on 1 January 2022. On this date there were 450 AHBs that were deemed registered and are subject to all provisions in the Act. AHBRA is responsible for maintaining the register and for registering organisations as AHBs. The register is published on AHBRA's website, available here: www.ahbregulator.ie/registration/the-register/. Currently, 450 organisations remain registered as AHBs.
The vast majority of AHBs are registered charities, however my Department does not keep a record of the number of these AHBs which are also registered charities.
Some AHBs provide a range of housing and broader care and supports for a wide range of our citizens. A number of AHBs (particularly smaller and voluntary AHBs) are considering their future viability and examining options which are available, including the concept of mergers and stock transfers, in terms of collaborating with other like-minded organisations.
Under Housing for All, my Department has committed to supporting the AHB sector as it innovates to implement new models of organisation, collaboration and management. Housing for All Action 24.6 commits to working with relevant stakeholders to ensure that the AHB sector is positioned to best contribute to the Government’s objectives for public housing supply and management. An AHB Collaboration Fund has been established by my Department to ensure that sufficient targeted resources and expertise are in place to directly support the AHB sector to consolidate the number of registered AHBs and to build greater capacity in the sector.
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 housing authorities in addressing homelessness at a local level. Statutory responsibility in relation to the provision of homeless services rests with individual housing authorities.
The operation and management of homeless services provided through Non-governmental Organisations (NGO’s) is matter for individual local authorities. However, my Department has engaged with a number of NGO’s working in the homeless sector through the National Homeless Action Committee (NHAC). The NHAC was established in Q4 2021 and is a cross-governmental and inter-agency oversight group with membership drawn from key Departments, agencies and stakeholders.
I chair the Committee which meets on a quarterly basis. Full membership as well as previous minutes of meetings of the NHAC are published on my Department's website and can be found at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/collection/958d1-national-homeless-action-committee-nhac-meetings/
