Homeless services in capital will need extra €23m
DUBLIN City Council is set to increase its spending on homeless services to €145.7m next year due to rising numbers of people becoming homeless.
This is an extra €23.2m on the €122.5m the council estimated it would need to fund the services this year.
However, because of soaring numbers of people becoming homeless this year, the council now estimates it will need to spend €137m in 2017.
At the start of the year, the number of families accessing emergency accommodation in Dublin stood at 1,007. By last month, the figure had risen to 1,138.
The figures are contained in a draft Dublin City Council budget for 2018 circulated to councillors ahead of the council’s annual budget meeting next month.
However, announcing the Housing Budget for 2018 earlier this month, Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy said he was allocating only an extra €18m for homeless services next year taking the total to €116m. He estimated there would be more than 3,000 “exits” from emergency accommodation in 2018.
Meanwhile, the council’s draft budget shows it will spend €35.3m in building modular homes this year.
One of the largest projects is St Helena’s Drive where the cost per house of the 40-unit development will be €265,640 while the cost per house at a 53-unit development at Elmdale, Cherry Orchard will be €297,659.
The St Helena’s Drive development is to cost €10.6m while the Elmdale development will cost €15.7m. It will also spend €6.4m on a 38-house development at Belcamp; €6.99m on a 29-home development at Knocknarea; €4.5m on 22 homes at Poppintree; €1m on 13 homes at Rathvilly Park/ Virginia Park and €1m on four homes at Woodbank Drive. It will spend €12m on a 66-unit development at Bunratty Road.