Focus Ireland

Prevention & Tenancy Sustainment Services

Fingal County Council Seminar

28th November 2012

Catherine Maher

Overview

• Context for Prevention

• Focus Ireland’s Prevention work today

• What Focus Ireland is planning

• The Next Steps

Shift to prevention: Policy Context

– National Homeless Prevention Strategy 2002– Homeless Agency Pillinger Report 2005– National Strategy (2008): A Way Home:

- Prevention being the first of 6 strategic priorities

– Dublin Strategy ‘A key to a home’ (2007):- Prevention being the first of 3 strategic priorities

– Evaluations of Homeless Services (2008)

Shift to Prevention: International Context

• Prevention and Rapid Re-housing Strategy – USA

• ‘Turning off the Tap on Homelessness’ – Australia

• Germany• England/Wales (Pawson 2007)• Scotland - Cyrenian’s Edinburgh

Focus Ireland: shift to prevention• Focus Ireland’s new strategy (2011-2016) sets out five

key objectives that will drive the work we do over the next 5 years.

• The fundamental objective, and from which the other objectives naturally follow, is

• the determination to shift the strategic emphasis of the work we do towards preventing homelessness.

Where Focus Ireland is delivering Prevention Services

• Dublin City & County

• Kildare County• Cork City • Waterford City &

County

• Wexford County• Kilkenny County• Sligo Town &

County• Limerick City &

County

Our Prevention & Sustainment Services• Advice & Information – and Advocacy • Aftercare services• SLI (partnership with Peter McVerry Trust) • Prevention & Tenancy Sustainment• Community Sustainment Projects•Long-Term Supported Housing•Prison In Reach•Mental Health Housing Projects

From Support to Prevention Example 1From Support to Prevention Example 1

CurrentCoolmine Detox Programme

Present to Central Placement Service

Referred to Private Emergency Homeless Accommodation

Focus Ireland NFCM engage and support family move-on to long-term housing

FutureCoolmine Detox Programme

Focus Ireland NFCM engage during programme to assess housing & support needs

Focus Ireland identify appropriate housing

Focus Ireland supports family

transition to long-term housing & independent living

From Support to Prevention Example 2Current

Individual with mental health issues living with their parents/guardian

Parents/guardian unable to cope/die

Crisis - individual moved to group home or becomes homeless

Focus Ireland homeless support services become engaged

Future

Individual with mental health issues living with their parents/guardian

Focus Ireland outreach engage with individual in their home

Builds individual’s capacity

Supports individual’s transition to independent living at appropriate time and setting

Next Steps• Requires a shift in thinking and culture at all levels• Change culture from ‘managing homelessness’ to

preventing homelessness• Other social services need to adopt a preventative

approach

• Section 10 funding – away from emergency accommodation. Legislative change.

• Potential role for Social Impact Bonds/Investments

Challenges

• Prevention must not become ‘preventing access to Homeless Services’

• Prevention Services must remain close to the Homelessness

• Outcomes for Prevention Services must be substantiated and evaluated

Questions?