Homelessness Budgets in a time of

Economic Crisis……

Making the best of what we have….a Dublin Perspective!

FEANSTA – Committee of the Regions Seminar

Presentation by Cathal Morgan, Director, Homeless Agency, Dublin

May 28th 2009

About the Dublin Homeless Agency

• Established in 2001

• Co-ordinates a Partnership Structure

• Board & Consultative Forum

• Research, policy and service development

• Training and support to services

• Administration of funding

• Monitoring and evaluation

DUBLIN

East coast

4 Local

Authority

Areas

HSE & LA

The Cross Departmental

Team on Homelessness

Cabinet Sub-Committee on Social Inclusion

GovernmentGovernment

NGO Sector•Community &

Voluntary

•Housing Associations

Statutory Sector

Irish Prison ServiceEducation and TrainingHealth Service ExecLocal AuthoritiesProbation and WelfareFAS

National Homelessness

Consultative Committee

2007

Homeless Agency PartnershipVision

……….and Government Policy (The Way Home)

By 2010, long-term homelessness and the need for

people to sleep rough will be eliminated in Dublin.

The risk of a person or family becoming homeless

will be minimal due to effective preventative

policies and services.

Where it does occur, homelessness will be short-

term and all people who are homeless will be

assisted into appropriate housing and the

realisation of their full potential and rights.

3 Strategic Aims

3 strategic aims will guide the direction of theaction plan:

• Prevent people from becoming homeless

• Provide effective services in each local area to address the accommodation, housing and health needs of people in that area

• Provide long-term housing, with appropriate supports as required for people who are homeless

2007…at a Crossroads…………

Are we ‘Managing’ or ‘Ending’?

3 Critical Priorities for 2008 were agreed by the Homeless Agency Board after a review of progress made in 2007:

• Measure and evidence the extent of homelessness (counted in)

• Review current expenditure (VfM)

• Develop and agree a model of service delivery (evaluation of services)

Extent of the experience of Homelessness

2144 households were in homeless services during the week of the Counted In survey in March 2008.

…resident in homeless accommodation, resident in

long-term supported accommodation or roofless

…equivalent figure from 2005 is 2066 households

… 1% decrease in homeless households relative to Dublin’s 5% population increase

Counted In 2008

2,144 households accessing homeless services

– 84% for more than six months

– 70% accommodated in Dublin city centre

– Most require some level of housing support to

maintain housing

• Recent Dublin City ‘Rooflessness’ Count

estimated a minimum of 98 people

Length of Time Homeless (Counted In, 2008)

Less than six months 16%

Six months - three years 38%

Over three years 46%

Minimum of 110 people reported as ‘roofless’

…decrease of 41% compared to 185 people in 2005

…5% of households in homeless services reported as roofless compared to 9% in 2005

…significant increase in number and proportion of non-Irish, from 9% in 2005 to 38% in 2008

95% of adults in homeless services are in accommodation.

Emergency

Accommodation

26%

Private Emergency

Accommodation

33%

Long-Term Supported

Housing

14%

Transitional

Accommodation

17%

Rough Sleeping

5%

Other

6%

In Conclusion

No significant change in the number of

people in homeless services (although nearly

half of residents are new since 2005)

Significant decrease in rooflessness (but

increase in non-Irish sleeping rough)

A minimum of 942 households are long-term

residents of emergency accommodation

Review of Finance &Expenditure -

Budget 2008 @ circa €62.3 million

48%

16%

8%

28%

Emergency Transitional Long-Term Support Services

Review of Finance & Expenditure

• €227m expended between 2005 and 2008

• Over emphasis on ‘managing homelessness’ -temporary soloutions

• Financial input not aligned to the agreed target & supports the need for a change in policy and practice! –

…a change in the way services are delivered to ‘prevent homelessness’, ‘support people should they become homeless’, ‘support people in housing’…….

Evaluation of Homeless Services Evaluation of Homeless Services -- Current ProvisionCurrent Provision

• Emergency

• Outreach

• Long-term Supported Housing

• Transitional Housing

• Settlement

• Advice/ Info./ Food Services

• Detox/ Rehab

– Delivered by 45 Organisations (NGO and Statutory)

Evaluation of Services 2008

– Too much movement between emergency services

– Need for centralised placement service for emergency

accommodation and one central outreach team

– Lack of move on to housing highlights the crucial need

for access to housing and to supports

– Need for supports delivered as a housing service to

people in mainstream housing

– Transitional programmes could be delivered as a

housing support to people in mainstream housing

– Localisation of services is problematic!

Emergency

Accommodation

NGO and DCC

Private Emergency

Accommodation

All Emergency

Accommodation

Transitional

Accommodation

Long-Term

Supported

Accommodation

All Homeless

Accommodation

We are moving to a…….

Pathway Model of Homeless

and Housing Support

Provision

Pathway Model

All services need to work together as part of a

system – co-ordinating assessments and referrals

to best meet service users’ needs.

Assessment of Need & Case Management is central

to this approach.

All residents in homeless services should have a

housing and support plan, to move them into

appropriate housing with whatever care and or

supports they need as soon as possible.

Real Opportunities– Irish Government will maintain existing

resource in 2009 and has announced new programme for housing support/ procurement of social housing

– We can significantly increase ‘housing capacity’ (target of 1,000 tenancies in 2009!)

• Housing Associations/ NGOs to play a stronger part in offering long-term tenancies with housing supports

– Strengthening and reform of Statutory role (especially with regard to Prevention!!)

– Localisation of Services across Dublin City and County

Thank You for Listening!

Further information available via

www.homelessagency.ie