Ireland

Housing First has been implemented in Ireland since 2011. As a reaction to the success that the demonstration project in Dublin exhibited, the Department of Housing of the Government of Ireland published a ‘Housing First National Implementation Plan’ 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.

Ireland’s national Housing First programme is based on the Pathways Housing First programme, which is the model that has produced the research evidence for the effectiveness of Housing First.In March 2022, the Housing First National Office was launched with the appointment of Rob Lowth as National Director. This office is based at The Housing Agency and is responsible for coordinating and driving a national, cross-Government approach to Housing First, as set out in the ‘Housing First National Implementation Plan, 2022-2026’.

Working in partnership with local authorities, HSE, NGOs and Approved Housing Bodies the office:

  • Supports regional and local delivery of the Housing First programme;
  • Oversees performance on the achievement of agreed Housing First targets; and
  • Evaluates the processes used in implementing Housing First in Ireland.

The ‘Housing First National Implementation Plan 2022 – 2026‘ provides for the creation of 1,319 additional tenancies over the period of 2022 – 2026. This represents an average of 264 new tenancies per year, with specific regional targets now included. These targets are based on an analysis of need, which involved all key stakeholders and was supported by The Housing Agency.

The ‘Housing First National Implementation Plan 2018-2021’ was launched by the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government and the Minister for Health in 2018. It describes how the Government’s goal to extend Housing First to every county in Ireland is to be delivered. This plan specifies the number of Housing First tenancies for each local authority to achieve by the end of 2021. The post of National Director of Housing First was established in early 2018 to drive national implementation. A Housing First National Implementation Committee oversees delivery nationwide.

Country spotlight

Our partners in Ireland

Simon Community of Ireland

Ireland

Associate

NGO

Respond

Ireland

Associate

Housing Provider

Trainers

Cara Gibbons

Focus Ireland

Cara has worked with homeless families, single adults, and children across Focus Ireland’s housing services for over 20 years. She is now on the Practice Development team, focusing on policy development and supporting the design of a psychological environment based on Housing First and trauma-informed philosophies. Her training methodology draws on Freire’s approach, emphasising dialogue, critical thinking, and social justice. Cara delivers training on Housing First, trauma and addiction, harm reduction, and staff self-care. She holds an MA in Social Justice & Public Policy and a Postgraduate Certificate in Trauma Studies. Cara is currently the lead trainer on the Housing First Europe Hub’s Train-the-Trainer programme.
Cara.Gibbons@focusireland.ie

Country: Ireland

Languages: English