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An introduction to Housing First
The Housing First Europe Hub is a partnership of organisations, foundations, governments & experts that supports Housing First as a core response to homelessness in Europe.
In many traditional homeless services, people are first expected to demonstrate that they are ‘housing ready’ – meaning that they have to prove they are able to live independently or with only low levels of support – before they can access stable housing.
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Housing First for Youth (HF4Y)
Adapted from the successful Housing First approach, Housing First for Youth (HF4Y) is a rights-based intervention for young people (aged 13-24) who are experiencing homelessness, or who are at risk of becoming homeless. The goal of HF4Y is to support young people through their adolescence and facilitate a healthy transition to adulthood, all while having a safe and stable place to call home.
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Housing First for Women
Housing First is a leading, evidence-based approach to help end homelessness, designed around eight core principles that form the foundation of all Housing First services, no matter who uses them. However, recognising that some people experiencing homelessness have specific needs, in some services, additional considerations are layered over the foundational principles to better adapt to the needs of these service users. Women are one such group of service users for whom Housing First services may need to consider specific adaptations.
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Housing First for Landlords & Housing Providers
Housing First is an innovative model that provides people experiencing homelessness – or at risk of homelessness – with a home and professional, personalised support. It is proven to be life-changing for tenants, as it helps them regain control over their lives, starting with a safe, secure, and appropriate home.
What is Housing First?
In many traditional homeless services, people are first expected to demonstrate that they are ‘housing ready’ – meaning that they have to prove they are able to live independently or with only low levels of support – before they can access stable housing.
In Housing First, housing is the starting point rather than an end goal, supported by policies and practices that are designed to keep people in existing ordinary housing if they are experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
As the name suggests, a Housing First service provides housing as soon as possible, without attaching conditions such as a requirement to abstain from drugs and alcohol. This means that people in Housing First programmes have a high degree of control over the support and treatment they receive, including whether or not to use different support services.
Core principles of Housing First
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Housing is a human right
The UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights established a right to housing that says that a person should be able to live in security, peace and dignity.
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Choice and control for service users
People using Housing First services should be listened to and their opinions should be respected, so they can exercise real choices about how they live their lives and the kinds of support that they receive.
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Separation of housing and treatment
Housing First ensures the human right to housing is not compromised by requiring service users to engage with treatment either to access housing, or to remain in housing.
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Recovery orientation
Focusing on the overall well-being of an individual, including physical and mental health, level of social support (from a partner, family or friends) and level of social integration, i.e. being part of a community and taking an active part in society.
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Harm Reduction
Working with users to encourage them to reduce and manage their drug and alcohol use. The aim is to minimise the harm that someone experiences, and while this can lead to abstinence, abstinence is not a requirement to receive support.
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Active engagement without coercion
Actively engaging with Housing First service users in a positive way that makes them believe that recovery is possible and encourages them to engage with the help they need and access the resources available to them.
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Person-centred planning
While some homelessness services expect users to follow a set path, with a fixed sequence of services that work in the same way with everyone, Housing First is designed to encourage and enable people to build their own path to recovery, using whichever mix of services suits their individual needs and preferences.
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Flexible support for as long as is required
Housing First support follows the individual, rather than being attached to a place or property. This allows Housing First to maintain contact if someone loses their existing housing, or has, for example, to enter hospital or prison on a short-term basis.
Commitment to the core principles of Housing First
All partners who join the Hub are asked to confirm their commitment to the core principles of Housing First as described in detail in the Housing First Europe Guide. Click on the links below to access the guide in your language – or if you would like to translate the guide into a language that is not currently available, please email Samara Jones the Hub’s coordinator.
Frequently Asked Questions
We already have a number of social services for homeless people, why do we need Housing First?
Is Housing First only for people with complex needs?
What is ‘Housing First for Youth’?
What are complex needs?
Why separate housing from treatment?
Why is stable housing so important?
What happens if the service user accepts housing but refuses treatment?
Are there any expectations of Housing First tenants?
Where does housing for Housing First come from?
Who covers the cost?
We don’t have enough housing available – how can this work in my community?
Housing First and Covid-19
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