Toolkit for people working in homeless sector launched

A toolkit aimed at helping the homeless has been launched in Cork.

The new Homeless Peer Support Toolkit was created to support NGOs working in the homeless sector to engage those with lived experience and offer guidance about how they can be involved in the provision of services.

Minister for State with responsibility for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy, Colm Burke TD, launched the toolkit.

“From a health perspective, Housing First can be viewed as Sláintecare in action – the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Providing people with a home of their own is the critical ingredient that enables the effective and timely delivery of health care services.

“Further to that, we know that involving people with lived experience of homelessness in supporting Housing First can drastically improve trust and engagement with health services and vastly increase health outcomes. Furthermore, the presence of a peer support worker as an active member of the team demonstrates that recovery is possible and provides an inspiring example to the tenants in the Housing First Programme.”

Peer support is a key principle of the Housing First programme and the Housing First National Office is keen to see the involvement of more peers throughout the country. Housing First aims to eliminate homelessness for people with a history of rough sleeping and long-term use of emergency homeless accommodation.

Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD said: “The success of this programme is due in no small part to the partnerships that have been formed on an inter-departmental, inter-agency and local basis between housing and health services and service providers in the NGO sector and the launch of this Peer Support Toolkit is testament to this cooperation.”

National Director of the Housing First National Office, Rob Lowth, added: “Housing First is a person-centred approach to helping people who are experiencing long-term homelessness and who may require additional supports.

“Peer support workers with lived experience have made a significant impact already in the Dublin Housing First Team, adding a dynamic understanding of the situations faced by tenants and supporting them appropriately. With the toolkit launch, we hope to increase the number of peer support workers to paid positions complementing and adding to the overall wrap-around supports provided.”

Joe Kirby, Social Inclusion Manager for HSE Cork Kerry Community Healthcare, commented: “The Cork Kerry region is committed to expanding the recruitment of peer support workers across all social inclusion services inclusive of Housing First. Lived experience of homelessness and using services brings with it a unique insight. The development of effective health services for people experiencing homelessness requires that individuals with lived experience are involved in service design and delivery.

“Peer support workers can improve Housing First tenants’ confidence in using health services and increase their ability to access healthcare independently.”

Tenants of Housing First have complex needs around mental health, substance use, physical health, and other social and behavioural challenges. Housing First provides direct access to permanent housing, together with intensive case management and health supports delivered by a wrap-around team, mainly in the person’s home. Nationally there are 1,031 Housing First tenants with 50% of these in the four Dublin local authority areas.