1 About the research Background Government has signalled an intention to seek to end long term The aims of the research homelessness and the ‘need to sleep rough’ by implementing a housing-led approach in Ireland combined with an increased The aims of the research were as follows: focus on preventative services. Following the adoption of the • Explore the effectiveness of housing-led services as a means 2008 strategy1,10 statutory Homeless Action Plans have been of meeting the needs of people who are homeless, including produced with the intention of highlighting homelessness as a specific consideration of the capacity of housing-led core policy concern for housing authorities. Housing-led services to house people who are long-term homeless (living services are seen as integral to this policy strategy. in accommodation based services for more than six months and people characterised by sustained and/or repeated In line with our Comprehensive Spending Review, we will alleviate the rough sleeping over several months or years) problem of long term homelessness by introducing a ‘housing-led’ approach to accommodating homeless people. In this way we will be • Explore the role of housing-led services in meeting the able to offer homeless people suitable, long term housing in the first needs of people who are homeless with multiple support instance and radically reduce the use of hostel accommodation and the needs, i.e. severe mental illness/mental health problems associated costs for the Exchequer2. and problematic use of drugs and/or alcohol. • Examine access to affordable and adequate housing and This research was designed to explore the potential the barriers to housing that can exist for people who are effectiveness of housing-led services in meeting the needs of homeless, including people who are long-term homeless people who are homeless with support needs in Ireland. The and those with high support needs. work was undertaken by the Centre for Housing Policy for the Simon Communities in Ireland and was designed to help • Look at the role of choice in enhancing service provision, inform and critically assess the use of housing-led services as a considering consumer-led or consumer-orientated response to homelessness at both national and local level. approaches including in housing support services, choice of housing tenure and choice of location. The research was designed to gather the views of people who • Look at how services can empower people who are were homeless, front line and management staff delivering homeless individually and collectively and enable people homelessness services within Simon Communities and the into education, training and employment. views of other homelessness service providers on the potential use of housing led services in Ireland. • Examine harm minimisation approaches and how they can be employed in effectively tackling homelessness, across all The key questions for the research centred on whether groups of people who are homeless. housing-led services would represent an improvement on existing practice in service delivery in Ireland. The research • Report on the cost effectiveness of various service options, was intended as a critical appraisal of the adoption of the again looking at services for people who are homeless with housing-led approach in Ireland, looking at the international different levels of support need and varying levels of evidence, the opinions of people who were homeless and experience of homelessness. service providers and asking them to consider the merits and demerits of housing led responses in relation to existing homelessness service provision in Ireland. In summary, the research explored whether a homelessness service model that has at the time of writing been developed primarily in North America was a suitable and effective way to tackle 1 The Way Home: A Strategy to Address Adult Homelessness in Ireland 2008–2013 homelessness among people with support needs in Ireland. http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/DevelopmentandHousing/Housing/FileDownLoad, 18192,en.pdf. Nine regional Homeless Forums have been established on Statutory footing (see Housing (Miscellaneous Provision) Act 2009) and 34 city and county council regional homelessness forums. 2 Government for National Recovery 2011-2016 p.45. 5
Finding the Way Home
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