38 Simon Communities of Ireland • The introduction of rent control in the Private Rented Sector is a critical development to help keep rents affordable. • The preparation by all lead local authorities of a full inventory of voids in their regions some of this stock should then be made available to Approved Housing Bodies and NGO’s by way of transfer or annual lease for a minimum of ten years. The Government released €15m as part of Budget 2014 in funding to bring approximately 500 ‘voids’ back to use. In the immediate term there needs to be ring- fencing of a portion of these voids for people to move out of homeless emergency accommodation. In May 2014, it was announced that an additional €50 million of capital funding to the housing budget. €20 million will be allocated to the bringing back to use vacant Local Authority units, €20 million for the construction of social housing units and €10 million allocated for construction and refurbishment of units specifically for people who are homeless. • The establishment of a National Social Rental Agency (SRA) which have proven very successful in other jurisdictions. This SRA would rent properties from the private rented sector (at market rates) and sub-let them to people who are long term homeless with significant support needs. This model has the advantage of providing people who are homeless with complex needs with a social landlord and removes perceived risks for the superior landlord related to fears of non-payment rent, anti-social behaviour and so on. • The extension of funding available under Section 10 of the Housing Act 1988 to provide for the critical role of Prevention and Early Intervention. • The roll out of a national scheme as already exists within the Rent Supplement Initiative operating in Dublin. This would ensure that higher rent payments are made under the HAP and rent allowance schemes nationally where necessary to quickly secure accommodation for people who are long term homeless or at risk of long term homelessness. • The provision of an adequate supply of accommodation, to be accompanied by a rebalancing of the range of housing options available. Communal accommodation will still be required for people whose needs are so high means they require 24 hour support and are unable to live independently. This needs to be planned for and resourced. 3. Open Ended Support There were clear concerns expressed throughout this study about the resourcing of supports of the appropriate level and duration to help sustain people with a diverse range of needs in their homes. These can be supports: – To enable someone to move onto a home of their own. – To address mental health or drug and/or alcohol issues. – To assist with anxiety and confidence building. – To address boredom and isolation. Open ended and ongoing support is critical to ensure a housing-led approach works effectively. It was evident in the research that ongoing support was needed and that it must be flexible and recognise fluctuations in the level of support that people may need. We recommend • That Government ensures that adequate support services are in place for housing led approaches to work effectively. • Enhanced interagency work to build the necessary ‘packages of support’ identified in this research. This support must be opened and flexible. • That plans for the provision of support services take account of the intensity of support required to meet the diverse needs of service users and the timescale that support may be needed for.
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