The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD, the Minister of State for Planning and Local Government, Peter Burke TD, and Minister of State with responsibility for Disability, Anne Rabbitte TD, launched the National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022 – 2027.
The strategy sets out the government’s vision for delivering housing and related supports for disabled people and has been developed by the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the Department of Health and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
It replaces the National Housing Strategy for People with a Disability 2011 – 2016 (extended to 2021).
The new strategy places a greater emphasis on independent living and community inclusion than the previous strategy. Implementation of the plan will be based on the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
The government has revised the structures that oversee and implement the strategy to make the delivery of housing and related supports for disabled people more effective and appropriate to their needs.
Developed under the guiding principles of Housing for All , the government’s national plan for housing to 2030, the strategy seeks to facilitate disabled people to live independently with the appropriate choices and control over where, how and with whom they live.
The strategy places an emphasis on disabled people having choice and control over their living arrangements. It demonstrates the government’s commitment to providing equal access to housing for all.
Providing more equal access to housing for disabled people with integrated support services promotes their inclusion in the community, fulfilling a key Housing for All commitment.
A key element is a focus on co-ordinating provision of housing for disabled people with the social supports provided through HSE-funded disability services.
The National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022 – 2027 is the result of a comprehensive 8-month, 2 phase consultation process and is laid out across 6 themes, each detailing desired outcomes to deliver the overall vision set out in the plan:
1 – Accessible housing and communities
2 – Interagency collaboration and the provision of uupports
3 – Affordability of housing
4 – Communication and access to information
5 – Knowledge, capacity, and expertise
6 – Strategy alignment
Work has now begun on the very important Implementation Plan for the Strategy.
The Housing Agency will oversee this work. The Implementation Plan will be published by the end of quarter 2, 2022 detailing how outcomes will be achieved.
Commenting, Minister O’Brien said, “this new National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022-2027 sets out our joint vision for the delivery of housing and support services for the next five years. The overall aim of the overarching Housing for All plan is that everyone in the State should have access to a home to purchase or rent at an affordable price, built to a high standard and in the right place, offering a high quality of life. This strategy underlines the Government’s vision.”
“Importantly, Housing and Disability Steering Groups’ will continue to have a key role as the forum for delivery of the strategy’s outcomes at local level. These Steering Groups have been established in each local authority area and this Strategy maps out the pathway for them to refresh and renew their role and focus with disabled people at the centre. I have no doubt this will lead to a more integrated and strategic response to the needs of people with a disability at local level.”
“I look forward to working collaboratively with my government colleagues and delivery partners across the sector in making the vision of this strategy a reality.”
Also commenting on the Strategy, Minister Burke stated, “the preparation of this new National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022-2027 has been led by the lived experience of people with a disability and those supporting them. Drawing on the knowledge and insight of individuals who experience disability, their representative groups and those who work to provide services, the strategy contains a vision to bring about practical and lasting change. I hope that this change will make a compelling difference to housing and accommodation provision for people with a disability across our country.”
“I want to acknowledge the key role that local authorities have played. As housing authorities, their role is pivotal in ensuring that the strategy is implemented at local level where it matters most for the citizen.”
“Our goal is for Ireland to be a better place for disabled people to live in, to access the right kind of housing or accommodation, a place where those with a disability have choices and play a central role in relation to matters and decisions that affect their lives. It should be a country where every disabled person is supported to live independently, participate fully in our society, and enjoy a quality of life on a par with the rest of the population. This strategy sets our course for housing to play its part in achieving that.”
Welcoming the Strategy, Minister Rabbitte said, “I warmly welcome the publication of the new National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022-2027. This government’s philosophy is ‘Housing for All’, which means that our housing provision must be inclusive of people with disabilities. I am particularly pleased to see the important emphasis on Universal Design in this strategy.”
“I am delighted that this strategy has very much been informed by the input of disabled people who took part in the public consultation process, and I want to thank the Housing Agency for facilitating their involvement. A central tenet of this Housing Strategy for People with Disabilities is to coordinate and align housing provision with the delivery of health and social care supports. I look forward to working with my colleagues in government, and with the HSE to drive forward the practical implementation of this approach.”
“The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a key framework for how we support disabled people in Ireland and is central to how government has approached this Strategy. I believe this Strategy helps progress our commitmentunder the UNCRPD to facilitate disabled people to live independently and as part of the community.”
The National Housing Strategy for Disabled People 2022 – 2027 can be viewed on can be viewed here .
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