Focus IrelandAnnual Report 2012

Services

TV Presenter Pamela Flood with Focus Ireland chef’s Paddy Markey (left) and Piotr Kasprzyk (right)launching the annual Sponsor a Star campaign. Photo James Horan, Collins Photos.

70,000

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This work provided vital support for many families andindividuals who are homeless and we managed to helpsettle 379 households into a place they can call home.Focus Ireland has also worked hard to respondeffectively to the changes in society which have placedmore people at risk of losing their home.

In line with our current strategy – Holding on to aPlace You Can Call Home – we are working tostrategically shift our work to focus more onprevention. This involves building on the highlydeveloped prevention services we already provide toour customers and expanding these services whereneeded. We are already seeing the positive impactof this work and will continue to develop this verytargeted approach.

Focus Ireland has a proud record since 1985 ofworking to build on the experience of providing housingand homeless services in order to contribute to thegoal of ending long-term homelessness across Ireland.This work has touched many thousands of lives overthe last 28 years and continues to do so today.

Our services range from targeted prevention workwith those at risk of losing their home and providingsupport for those who are homeless to help them tosecure and settle into long-term housing.

While Focus Ireland responds in some way to allexperiences of homelessness or the risk of becominghomeless, it has developed specialised skills andcompetencies to support young people and familiesfacing homelessness.

These particularly vulnerable groups often requirea complex range of interventions to assist them in

sustaining a place they can call home. Focus Irelandcontinues to provide and develop these specialisedservices and is working hard to extend them to otherareas where they are needed.

People who are at risk of homelessness oftenhave a range of complex problems. They can oftenbe disadvantaged in terms of educational attainment,life skills and future prospects. Focus Ireland hasfound through our work that early prevention andintervention measures help people to address suchproblems before they become entrenched andpossibly become homelessness. Of course a keypart of this prevention includes the provision ofaffordable and secure accommodation.

Targeted prevention services also improvepeople’s quality of life and help to breakintergenerational cycles of disadvantage. If a familysecures a home it provides a more stable environmentfor children. We know that living in a settled homegreatly reduces the chances of these childrenexperiencing homeless in the future.

Preventative work means tackling the real rootcauses of homelessness so that the incidence of riskis greatly reduced among vulnerable groups. Suchinterventions not only support the people involved,they also benefit the larger community both at a socialand economic level. Focus Ireland firmly believes thatthese type services need to continue to be innovatedand developed. We will continue to implement ourstrategy to advance these services to provide moreeffective early prevention and bring about this changein how we tackle the problem of homelessness.

Focus Ireland ServicesPrevention · Support · Housing

The deepening impact of the recession on the most vulnerable people in societyis reflected in the increased demand for our services and support during the year.In 2012, Focus Ireland engaged directly with over 8,000 customers.

> Our Aftercare Service is a partnership with theHSE, providing a residential and support andsettlement service to young people in Dublin andWaterford. The residential service provided short-term accommodation for over 50 young people whowere leaving State care in 2012, while our supportand settlement service supported 170 youngpeople to live independently for the first time.

> Our experience indicates that early access toadvice and information is crucial in preventinghomelessness and supporting people out ofhomelessness. Our Advice and InformationServices in Kilkenny, Dublin, Limerick, Cork,Waterford and Sligo offered advice and informationto over 2,500 people who were homeless or indanger of becoming homeless.

> Our Prison In-Reach Programme works to preventpeople becoming homeless or returning tohomelessness after leaving prison. The programmeaims to provide a seamless transition betweenprison services and permanent housing in order toprevent people moving into homeless services. In 2012, almost 130 customers engaged with the three Prison In-Reach projects in Limerick,Dublin and Cork.

> As part of Focus Ireland’s strategy towardsdeveloping more prevention-centred services, in2012, we began to deliver individualised, person-centred support to people with mental health issueswho are living with their families or in HSE-funded

accommodation but who want to live independentlyand require support to do so. The Genio MentalHealth Projects in Kildare and Limerick workclosely with multi-disciplinary mental health teams,providing a flexible, person-centred, home-visitingservice to support these individuals to settle intotheir new home and sustain it successfully into thefuture. Seventeen people were supported in 2012.

> Our Dublin Prevention Case ManagementService helps single and family households livingin Dublin to develop the necessary skills and toolsto overcome the risks and challenges associatedwith maintaining their homes. Child supportworkers also engage with parents, supporting andfacilitating them in improving their parenting skillsand taking an active part in their children’semotional, physical and educational developmentand, in the process, reducing the risk of the familyexperiencing or returning to homelessness in thelong-term. Nearly 140 households weresupported in 2012.

> Focus Ireland’s Preparation for Training andEducation Programme (PETE) operates inDublin and Waterford, supporting people over 18in preparing for education or training. Wesupported 230 participants in gaining the skillsand confidence necessary to take the first stepsin accessing mainstream training, education andemployment in 2012. The service is beingextended to Limerick in 2013.

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The key outcomes delivered in 2012 were:

Prevention

‘Our experience indicates that early access to adviceand information is crucial in preventing homelessnessand supporting people out of homelessness.’

2,500

132112

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> The Coffee Shop in Temple Bar provides qualityand affordable meals for adults, families andchildren who are homeless. The Coffee Shop isopen seven days a week and is operated byFocus Ireland. We also partner with Merchant’sQuay Ireland in delivering the Extended DayService from John’s Lane West from Monday toFriday. This service provides free food for themost marginalised in a safe and warmenvironment. Over 6,000 customers engaged withthe Coffee Shop and Extended Day Service in2012. An Advice and Information Service is alsoavailable in both locations.

> In Dublin, our Off-the-Streets short-termresidential programme, which supports 16–18-year-olds with high-support and complex needs,worked with 16 young people during the year.

> Our Supported Temporary Accommodation forfamilies in Aylward Green, Dublin, provides asafe, supportive and secure environment wherefamilies can explore and address the factors thatcontributed to them becoming homeless. Theproject supported 23 families in 2012. In addition,the childcare centre linked to the serviceprovided a place of learning, development andfun for 22 young children living in emergencyaccommodation.

> Our Supported Temporary AccommodationService in George’s Hill, Dublin, meets the needsof single people and couples aged 18–25 yearswho are homeless and have support needs. Theservice offers a 6-month key-working and casemanagement service to support customers in

accessing services and progressing towards long-term accommodation. Support staff are availablethroughout the day. A total of 40 young peopleengaged with the service in 2012.

> Our Childcare Centres in Dublin and Waterfordworked with 70 children in 2012.

> Focus Ireland’s National Family CaseManagement Service engages with families livingin private emergency accommodation who havebeen entrenched in long-term homelessness; theover-arching objective of the service being tomove them into long-term accommodation. Childsupport workers also conduct detailed childcareassessments of children living in these familiesand liaise with the relevant statutory and non-statutory support and clinical services. The servicebegan operating in 2012 and engaged with 132families and 112 children during the year.

> The Regional Contact and Outreach Service, ajointly led partnership between Focus Ireland andthe Dublin Simon Community, provides a single,integrated service covering the greater Dublinarea. Staff proactively engage with service users,building relationships and assessing their needs.The team will engage with anyone presenting tothe service, regardless of age or nationality, andwill target all adults, youth, children and familieswho are sleeping rough or at risk of sleepingrough. The service utilises the skills andexperience of both organisations to ensure aneffective response to the needs of peoplesleeping rough. In 2012, the service engaged withover 750 individuals on the streets.

The key support services provide in 2012 were:

Support

‘Our Childcare Centres in Dublin and Waterfordworked with 70 children in 2012.’

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> Our Tenancy Support and Sustainment Servicesprovide support for households moving out ofhomelessness and for those at risk of becominghomeless. Focus Ireland provided tenancy supportand sustainment services for 675 households inDublin, Kildare, Cork, Sligo, Limerick, Wexford,Waterford and Kilkenny in 2012. In partnership withThe Peter McVerry Trust, we also operate theSupport to Live Independently (SLI) service forhouseholds living in the Dublin region, facilitatingthese households to access mainstream servicesand supports.

> Focus Ireland provides Long-term SupportedHousing in Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Sligo andLimerick, targeting single people, families andcouples who have identified support needs.Our long-term housing supports people whoare in vulnerable situations or living with issuessuch as mental health or other healthdifficulties, and who may not be able to sustaintheir tenancy in their own home without thishousing support. In 2012, Focus Irelandsupported nearly 500 households in our long-term accommodation throughout the country.

> While our Housing Development Programmeencountered obstacles in securing properties in2012, we committed substantial resources andefforts to laying the groundwork for success in 2013.

This included looking at models like leasing, stocktransfers, void management and private investmentas possible ways of securing the homes we needfor our customers in the future. We are confidentthat our work in 2012 will pay dividends in thecoming year and that we will acquire the housingnecessary to move people from homelessness orpotential homelessness to long-termaccommodation and facilitate their progressionalong the path towards independent living.

> We launched a major redevelopment project inour Stanhope Green Housing Project. It involvesthe extensive redevelopment of all units ofaccommodation, with the creation of larger,better-quality accommodation over a two yearperiod with increased energy efficiency. Fifty-onelong-term units and nineteen short-term units willbe available to our customers after completion.

> Focus Ireland is committed to the on-goingmaintenance and upgrade of our existinghousing stock to ensure that our accommodationmeets the desired standard and is suitable forthe needs of our customers. A ten-yearmaintenance property plan for all Focus Irelandstock is currently in operation and is reviewedannually to take into account the needs of ourcustomers, the changing number of homes,works completed and survey information.

Focus Ireland provided homes for a total of 685 households in long- and short-termproperties in Dublin, Waterford, Kilkenny, Limerick, Clare, Sligo and Cork in 2012.These homes are managed, leased or owned by Focus Ireland.

Housing

These are just some of the services Focus Ireland provides. To read more about all of our services,please go to www.focusireland.ie.

‘In 2012, Focus Ireland supported nearly 500 households inour long-term accommodation throughout the country.’

Satisfied28%

Neither 7%

Dissatisfied 2%Very dissatisfied 2%

Very satisfied61%

Focus Ireland has a long and proud tradition of customer participation in our workand in fact was first established following a customer participation project.

Customer survey

‘A survey in 2012 found that 89% of people using Focus Irelandservices were either very satisified or satisified’.

The organisation was established by Sr StanislausKennedy in 1985 after she worked with women whowere homeless in Dublin. This led to a piece ofresearch which identified services needed forpeople who are homeless. The results showed theimportance of involving people who are homeless tohelp inform service development.

Listening to customers has always been central tothe work of Focus Ireland and our customers havetaken part in many pieces of research and servicesdevelopment over the years.

In recent years, this work has includeddeveloping a customer charter and handbookdetailing the rights of people using our services.This charter was developed by our customers incollaboration with Focus Ireland.

We need to know what our customers thinkabout our services to ensure that we are meeting

their needs. With this in mind people usingFocus Ireland were asked to take part in a surveyto see how satisfied they were with the serviceprovided to them. A total of 612 people across47 services took part in the survey betweenOctober and December 2012. There was muchvaluable information gathered during thisprocess as customers had a chance to havetheir say. In all, 594 people answered thequestion ‘How satisfied are you with FocusIreland?’ Of these, almost 90% were either verysatisfied or satisfied with Focus Ireland. However,with 4% of those that answered this questiondissatisfied, we can see there’s room forimprovement. Later this year a full detailed reportof the survey will be available in every FocusIreland service and our customers can talk tostaff to find out more.

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Gender53% Male43% Female4% No reply

Nationality90% Irish6% EU3% Non EU

Age3% Under 1839% 18–3445% 35–5415% 55 over