HFE_Ireland (1)

Ireland

Housing First has been implemented in Ireland since 2011. The starting point was a demonstration project in Dublin. After the success of this initial project, an increase of Housing First projects across the county could be observed together with the publication of the National Implementation Plan for Housing First released by the government in 2022. In 2021 over 655 Housing First tenancies are active in Ireland.

After the initial implementation of the demonstration project in Dublin in 2011 targeting 23 rough sleepers as a joint effort of Dublin Region Homeless Executive, Stepping Stone Accommodation, Peter McVerry Trust, Focus Ireland and Dublin Simon, a bigger roll-out across the country followed in 2014.

As a reaction to the success that the demonstration project in Dublin exhibited, the Department of Housing of the Government of Ireland published a National Implementation Plan for Housing First across the country for the duration of 2022 until 2026. The plan aims to establish Housing First in all nine regions of Ireland. The requirement for this implementation in the different regions is that even if the approach of coordinating services, sourcing housing and supporting clients can vary, it is mandatory that the regions follow the core principles of Housing First with a high degree of fidelity.

This will furthermore be ensured through a monitoring and review strategy that will inform the oversight and delivery of the programme. The development of this monitoring strategy is going to be overseen by a new National Directorate that is being established and based in The Housing Agency functioning as the central administration for the programme.

The National implementation Plan for Housing First in Ireland also includes a broader target group of Housing First tenants, namely people leaving the care system and institutions such as prisons. On top of that, rural regions that up until this point hadn’t seen the implementation of Housing First programmes, such as the Mid-East region of Kildare, Meath and Wicklow are also being included in the implementation. This marks an important turning point as these implementation are going to show the challenges and benefits of establishing the programme over a wider area.

Since 2014 and up to the end of October 2021, more than 655 Housing First tenancies are up and running as as part of the Irish Housing First programme.

Our partners in Ireland

  • Depaul

    Depaul is a cross-border organisation working in 5 main areas of service provision: 1. Prevention 2. Families & Young People 3. High Support Accommodation 4. Health & Rehabilitation 5. Housing Depaul was established in 2002 in Ireland and 2005 in Northern Ireland. It is now a leading cross-border organisation. Our focus is upon those suffering homelessness and marginalisation, who need vital support and the opportunity to realise their true potential. We offer support and guidance to break the cycle of homelessness, and assist our service users in making positive choices for their future. Depaul Housing is a subsidiary of Depaul Ireland and is an Approved Housing Body (AHB) with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. Depaul Housing was set up in response to the urgent need to source suitable move-on accommodation for those accessing Depaul’s homeless services, as well as people who are living in other homeless services. Our Housing First project in Belfast, initiated as a pilot in 2013, was commissioned as an independent service in 2014 and then replicated in Derry/L’derry in 2015. The primary aim of Depaul Housing is to create good quality move-on accommodation for people exiting homeless services.

  • Respond

    Respond, an Approved Housing Body and service provider, has been working all around Ireland for 39 years. Our vision is that every family and individual in Ireland will have high‐quality housing as part of a vibrant and caring community. Housing and decent accommodation, in the areas where people want to live, are central to improving people’s lives and enhancing the health and well‐being of society. Approximately 12,065 tenants live in 4,834 homes across the 26 counties that we either own or manage; of these, 4,580 are Respond social housing tenancies. Respond also provide a range of services for families and individuals within our communities. This includes emergency accommodation with 24/7 support for families who are homeless in six Family Homeless Services, three Day Care Services for Older People, 17 Early Childhood Care and Education, Family Support and Refugee Resettlement services. Our aim is to provide person-centred services to support people to achieve their goals and reach their full potential.

  • Simon Community

    The Simon Communities of Ireland are a network of independent communities across the country that provide homeless, housing and treatment services to people facing the trauma and stress of homelessness. With a proud history of over 50 years responding to local needs, the Simon Communities of Ireland works to end long-term homelessness in Ireland, and ensure that homelessness – where it does occur – is rare, short-term and non-recurring. The Simon Communities of Ireland national office is a leading campaigner nationally in putting forward solutions for tackling homelessness. We campaign for the expansion of Housing First in Ireland, Cork Simon, Galway Simon and South East Simon, are leading providers in the rollout of the National Housing First strategy in Ireland.

  • Focus Ireland

    Focus Ireland was founded over 35 years ago with the belief that homelessness is wrong and can be put right when the correct supports and resources are in place. Today, it is one of Ireland’s leading housing and homelessness organisations and provides services and housing to 14,000 people a year who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Focus Ireland is a pioneer of Housing First in Ireland and a leader in developing the programme across Europe, shown in the role it played in founding of the Hub and initiating the Irish Housing First Platform. Focus Ireland runs Housing First programmes in partnership with local authorities and the Health Service Executive in 9 counties across Ireland. Its Housing First teams support entrenched rough sleepers and long-term emergency accommodation users to move into a new home, sustain their tenancy and address their personal goals through the provision of ongoing, time-unlimited, intensive support. Focus Ireland has also piloted a range of innovative programmes which apply Housing First principles to young people with complex support needs, through their Housing First for Youth projects.