Finding the Way Home Methodology • Housing Association for Integrated Living (HAIL) • Sophia Housing The research had four main methods: • Society of Saint Vincent de Paul • A review of existing research on housing-led service responses to homelessness. • Stepping Stone • A consultation with a group of homelessness service • The Midlands Simon Community4. providers in Ireland The fieldwork involved conducting a series of focus groups with • Interviews with people who were homeless and service people who were homeless, with an emphasis on trying to providers working for Simon Communities in: represent the following groups; • Cork • people who were newly homeless in emergency • Dublin accommodation, • Dundalk • people who were homeless receiving or living within services offering support, • Letterkenny and Sligo • people who used to be homeless who were now living in the • A consultative breakfast event held in Dublin with Community, participants from across Government and the homelessness • people with sustained experience of homelessness and sector which discussed the emerging findings from the rough sleeping, had long stays in accommodation-based research (held in early October 2012). services (six months or more) and, The research team built on a recent evidence review on • people who had high support needs, including severe housing led services conducted for the French Government3 by mental illness and problematic drug and alcohol use. conducting a Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA), which focused particularly on evidence applicable to Ireland. Based The research team undertook focus groups with people on the principles of a systematic review, an REA is intended to experiencing homelessness or who had recently been assess in a systematic and transparent manner the best homeless, in Cork (two groups), Dublin (one group), Dundalk available evidence to address specific research questions. This (two groups), Letterkenny (one group) and Sligo (one group). process can encompass relevant documentation from central The aim had been to secure a total of ten focus groups with up and local government, reports from individual service providers to five participants each, but the level of participation varied and a range of other material that is of direct relevance. between areas. Eventually nine groups were conducted with the following representation of people who were homeless or The consultation with homelessness service providers in who had recently been homeless: Ireland was focused on understanding the scope and nature of • A total of 27 participants of whom 21 (81%) were male and their existing service provision, asking them about their future six (19%) were women. plans and for their views on the use of housing-led services. Working in cooperation with research management and policy • Eight participants who were in their twenties and thirties staff at the Simon Communities of Ireland, the research team (30%), eleven participants who were in their fifties (41%) were assisted in drawing up a contact list of people working in with the remainder aged in their 40s or over sixty. key homelessness agencies in Ireland. The research team and • Nineteen people who were or had been entrenched rough staff at Simon Communities of Ireland worked jointly to sleepers, i.e. people with high and multiple support needs encourage agencies to respond and in total seven service who had sustained experience of living rough. providers took the time to respond to the detailed questionnaire that was circulated: • Eight people who were more recently homeless, who tended to be younger and who tended to have lower support needs. • COPE Galway • Seventeen people working for the Simon Communities in • Dublin Regional Homelessness Executive (DHRE) Cork, Dublin, Dundalk, Letterkenny and Sligo, ranging from • Focus Ireland workers delivering support services through to management and chief executive level. 3 Pleace, N. (2012) Housing First FEANTSA/DIHAL Brussels. 4 The Midlands Simon Community did not participate directly in the fieldwork but did take part in the consultation. 6
Finding the Way Home
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