Tackling Homelessness in Ireland

1
Tackling Homelessness in Ireland

• Donal McManus
• Executive Director
• ICSH

2
Context in which homelessness is tackled in
Ireland

• Population currently circa 4m
• Increase of 15 in last 20 years
• Dublin region 1.1m (average house price 300,000)
• Economic growth 5
• GDP per capita 2nd highest in EU after Finland
• Housing output to reach 80,000 in 2004
• Highest private housing output in EU at 17 new
  homes per 1000, low social housing output at 1.6
  per
• 1000

3
Housing and Homelessness

• 48,000 households in need of social housing
• Over 20 increase since 1999
• 5,500 homeless households
• 70 single homeless
• Majority in Dublin region
• Social housing output 6800
• Local authorities 5000
• Housing associations 1800
• Small social housing stock at 122,000

4
Profile and Responsibility of Services for the
Homeless

• Housing related responsibilities-88 Local housing
  authorities
• Section 10 1988 Housing Act
• 3 year count of homeless households
• Funding provision for homeless services
• Health care provision-8 Regional Health boards
  responsible for care aspects of homeless people
• Voluntary organisations
• Provide majority of services to homeless

5
Background for Developing Strategies on
Homelessness

• Greater political priority in 1999 and greater
  economic growth provided much greater resources
• Increasing numbers of homeless including rough
  sleepers
• Very poor co-ordination in the delivery of
  services responsibilities very unclear
• Clear that a much wider understanding of
  homelessness needed and agreement on solutions
• Still an over reliance on provision of emergency
  services

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Different Strands To Tackling Homelessness
Youth Homeless Strategy (2001)
National Homeless Strategy (2000)
Preventative Strategy (2002)
Monitored by Cross-Departmental Team on
Homelessness
7
Report Structure for Homeless Strategies
Cross-Departmental Team on Homelessness Reports
To-

Cabinet Sub-Committee on Social Inclusion-Chaired
by the Taoiseach
8
Homelessness-An Integrated Strategy 2000 (1)

• Homelessness-An Integrated Strategy was developed
  by the Department of Environment with 8
  government departments
• Departments included Finance, Social Welfare,
  Health, Environment(Housing), Sport and Leisure,
  Education, Justice, Trade and Employment
• Recognised the complex interrelationship of
  social and economic factors that cause
  homelessness

9
Homelessness-An Integrated Strategy 2000(2) Main
Elements

• A homeless forum to be established in each county
  to co-ordinate the delivery of services to the
  homeless
• Homeless fora to be comprisesd of representatives
  of local authorities, health board voluntary
  organisations
• Joint 3 year Action Plans to be drawn up by local
  authorities and health boards in co-operation
  with voluntary agencies
• Capital spending on new projects to double and
  revenue spending on settlement and outreach to
  increase dramatically
• Responsibilities of local authorities and health
  boards to be clarified

10
Dublin Homeless Agency

• Agency established to improve co-ordination and
  delivery of services in Dublin
• Management Board comprised of senior officials
  from statutory and voluntary organisations to
  oversee implementation of Homeless Action Plan
• Consultative forum of statutory voluntary reps
  focusing on operational aspects of service
  delivery
• 2 Homeless Action Plans already adopted-New Plan
  focusing on prevention and housing interventions
• Develop information link system

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Youth Homelessness Strategy 2001

• Launched by Minister for Children
• Health Boards required to draw up 2 year
  strategic plans to address youth homelessness
• Strategic Plans to encompass 12 objectives in 3
  broad areas
• Prevention, responsive services and
  administrative supports
• 4 objectives relate to prevention
• Family support
• Schools actively support children at risk eg
  truanting
• Local communities will support children at risk
• Aftercare services for children leaving
  fostercare and residential care will be
  strengthened

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Homeless Preventative Strategy 2002

• Focused on people leaving state care
• Theme to ensure that no one is released or
  discharged from state care without the
  appropriate measures to ensure that they have a
  suitable place to live with the necessary
  supports
• 4 Government departments work together to ensure
  its implementation. Environment, Health,
  Education Justice
• Targeted groups leaving care
• Young people, people leaving acute hospitals,
  offenders
• Minimum discharge policy policy for hospitals
  developed

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Progress on Homelessness-An Integrated Strategy
2000

• 3 Year Homeless Action Plans developed by most
  local authorities but not all and quality very
  variable
• Homeless Fora establised in some local
  authorities
• Revenue funding increased from 7m to 50m
• Dedicated Homeless Agency Establised in Dublin
• No of rough sleepers has fallen
• No of hostel places increased and now meets
  demand
• Quaility of existing and new homeless services
  greatly improved
• Better overall co-ordination in service provision
• Shortage of rental housing still a huge problem
  in Dublin

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Progress with Homeless Preventative Strategy

• Probation Welfare Service have a specialist
  unit(Homeless Offenders Strategy team)
• Health Boards have drawn up protocols for the
  discharge of homeless persons from mental
  facilities
• Prison offenders to have housing need assessed by
  local authority 9 months prior to release
• Residential Tenancies Act introduced for the
  Private Rented Sector (indirect consequence)

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Progress with Youth Homelessness Strategy

• National Guidelines on leaving care and aftercare
  have been approved for Health Boards
• Youth Homeless Contact Forum established as a way
  of gathering statistics
• 30 new/extended services developed throughout the
  country
• 140 new posts established in Health Boards

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Major Issues Affecting Success of Strategies
Moving Forward

• Without doubt the inadequate supply of (social)
  rental housing-Services without housing
• The ability of voluntary organisations to change
  the nature of their services-Move away from
  emergency services such as hostels
• How to successfully target prevention measures
• How to demonstrate benefits of preventative
  measures?
• Are plans and strategies enough without the
  discipline of a legislative basis
• How to keep homelessness as a priority and
  fatigue doesnt set in

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The Iveagh Trust (Homeless services since 1890)