New Focus Ireland plan aims to help 5,000 families in five years

Focus Ireland will work in partnership with State agencies to support 4,000 families to leave homelessness. Picture: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

Focus Ireland has published a new five-year strategic plan which hopes to support more than 5,000 households out of homelessness.

The charity aims to deliver 1,150 new homes in partnership with local authorities and other State agencies through a mix of direct build, buying and leasing.

The strategy will focus on four key groups:

• Families who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and have complex support needs; 
• Families who are homeless or at risk of being so due to economic circumstances; 
• Young people with complex support needs; 
• Single adults who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

The charity's strategy is also underpinned by a number of initiatives, including tenant and customer participation and the Meascán Housing Model – an intentional social mix of households with support needs and households without such needs, and what Focus Ireland chief executive Pat Dennigan said would be "integration into a welcoming community".

Under the strategy, entitled Restating our Vision 2021-25, Focus Ireland will also work in partnership with State agencies to support 4,000 families to leave homelessness and enter homes rented from local authorities, Approved Housing Bodies and private landlords.

Mr Dennigan said: “It think is widely acknowledged that during the pandemic homeless services, local authorities and health services have worked more closely than ever before, and this has made a real difference. 

"Additional protections to tenants in private rental accommodation introduced by Minister O’Brien have reduced family homelessness significantly. 

"Perhaps less attention has been given to the crucial roles played by day services such as Focus Ireland’s Extension [day service for young people], the coffee shop and the family centre. 

"Each of these services continued to provide human contact during a period of great isolation and distress, helping prevent new homelessness and supporting people to move out of homelessness.” 

At Wednesday's launch, Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien said tackling homelessness was a "top priority" and that the strategy provided a platform that would assist with that aim. He also said learnings had to be taken from the pandemic period, which had accelerated positive change in a number of areas of homeless support.

The minister said resources were not an obstacle but Focus Ireland founder Sr Stan said a referendum on a constitutional right to housing was required, as well as a housing commission and strategies to end youth and family homelessness.

She said: "We cannot revert to a situation where homelessness is the new normal."

An example of a positive outcome for one service user was that of Priscilla, a member of the Travelling community and who was married at 15 and has since divorced.

A lone parent of four children, two of whom have special needs, she went through different periods of being homeless, including sleeping in a car with her children.

Focus Ireland was able to assist her to move into a two-bed STA apartment and she received her long-term council housing last December.