Donegal County Council has spent €68,276.92 supporting people in need of homeless emergency accommodation in the first six months of 2020.
New figures show that an average of €11,000 has been spent every month from January to June on bed and breakfast provision in the county.
Individuals account for the majority of the homeless cases in the county. €44,911.75 of the total has been spent on supporting single persons.
The remaining €23,365.17 has been spent on accommodating families of more than one person.
See the breakdown of costs per area in Donegal here:
Donegal County Council also reports that €16,535 has been spent this year on assisting households with deposit payments to secure private rented accommodation.
Where deposit supports are requested, the normal practice is that a HAP eligible household can apply to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection, through the Exceptional Needs Payment Scheme. However in certain instances, such as where a household is in emergency accommodation, local authorities can assist with deposit payments to secure private rented accommodation.
The data was provided to Cllr Gerry McMonagle in response to a question at yesterday’s meeting of Donegal County Council.