Download the 2002 Annual report here - Focus Ireland

Annual Report
& Accounts
2002
IRELAND

CONTENTS
Introduction 02
Chief Executive’s Address 04
A world from Sr Stanislaus Kennedy,
Life President of Focus Ireland 05
Meeting the Need 07
* The First Port of Call 11
* Reaching our Homeless Youth 15
* Families in Focus 25
* Moving On 33
* At Home 37
Focus Ireland Research, Development and Education 43
Fundraising 47
Investing in our staff 51
New in 2003 55
Focus Ireland accounts 59
have kindly supported the printing of this report

FOCUS IRELAND is one of the leading non-profit agencies
in Ireland working with people who are homeless or at risk
of homelessness. Founded by Sr. Stanislaus Kennedy in
1985, Focus Ireland has both proposed solutions and
provided practical responses in the area of homelessness.
Originally Dublin based, Focus Ireland now has projects in
both Limerick and Waterford.
MISSION: Focus Ireland aims to advance the rights of
people out-of-home to live in a place they call home
through quality services, research and advocacy.
VISION: Focus Ireland believes that everyone has the
right to a place they can call home.
Values
Focus Ireland’s models of service
provision are dictated by the needs
of our customers. We believe the
quality of service delivery is as
important as the kind of services we
provide. There are eight primary
values that underpin our models of
service delivery, both to our staff and
our customers:
- respect
- safety
- accessibility
- empowerment
- stewardship
- quality
- partnership
- integration
Objectives
Focus Ireland’s objectives are to:
- respond to the needs of people
out-of-home and those at risk of
becoming homeless, through a
range of appropriate high
quality services
- provide emergency, transitional
and long-term accommodation
- campaign and lobby for the rights
of people-out-of home and the
prevention of homelessness
02

Trustees
Sr Marie Helen Hicks
Mr Dermot Hussey
Mr Donal Nevin
Directors
Sr Stanislaus Kennedy,
Life President, Focus Ireland
Dr Edmond Molloy** (Chairman)
Mr Tim Bouchier-Hayes
Mr Desmond Byrne*
Ms Trudi Devereux
Mr Patrick Griffin**
Mr Edward McCumiskey
Mr Patrick Mooney*
Dr Patricia O’Hara
Dr Bairbre Redmond*
Dr Valerie Richardson
Mr Larry Tuomey*
Mr Matthew Walsh**
Chief Executive
Mr Declan Jones
Secretary
Ms Evelyn Fitzpatrick
Registered office
14a Eustace St, Dublin 2
Auditors
Phelan, Prescott & Co,
Chartered Accountants
and Registered Auditors
Solicitors
Arthur Cox
Ferry Solicitors
Principal Bankers
Bank of Ireland
Allied Irish Banks plc
Bank of Scotland
Registered Charity No
CHY 7220
*
**
retired during 2002
retired in accordance with the
Articles of Association and
were re-elected to the board.
03

Foreword
Focus Ireland has a proud track record of
both understanding and explaining the
problem of homelessness as well as
demonstrating how services can be
developed to support and enable people to
improve and change their circumstances.
In this context, it is dispiriting to
introduce another annual report with a
litany of facts and figures that question
our ability and commitment as a society
to addressing the needs of our most
excluded. It is clear the problem of
homelessness is a structural one.
Housing waiting lists have shot up 24%
from 39,000 in 1999 to a current
record high of 48,413 households.
That’s a staggering total of nearly
140,000 men, women and children who
don’t have a proper place to call home.
Last year the Government admitted it
will not meet its housing commitments
under the PPF to provide 25,000 new
house starts from 2000-2003. This
means the housing waiting lists will
continue to grow unchecked and people
will have to wait even longer before
being housed.
It is therefore no surprise that people
who are homeless remain so for longer
than ever before, while the numbers of
people without a home continue to rise.
Focus Ireland’s recent experience is
worrying. The nature of the damage and
needs we are encountering in our work is
more profound and more difficult to
engage and resolve than before.
We in Focus Ireland have continued to
learn from our customers’ experiences
and needs and have sought to raise
awareness and understanding of their
ongoing issues and evolving needs with
the general public and directly with the
agencies and authorities who are in a
position to drive meaningful structural
change. Focus Ireland’s unique value
continues to be our willingness and
ability to engage our clients in the whole
range of their needs and to do so in a
manner that achieves an impact in their
life and a change in their circumstances.
We know the problems and the issues
and are learning, along with our clients,
how to create solutions to these same
issues and problems. However,
organisations like Focus Ireland will
never be able to solve these problems
alone. The type of services and housing
provided by Focus Ireland need to be
replicated on a larger scale to respond
properly to this growing crisis. Only then
can we say we’re on our way to living in
a society proud to include everyone and
not one which continues to exclude its
most marginalized people.
Our Annual Report represents some of
our efforts over the past year in
developing our client support and
housing services to continue identifying
and responding to gaps in existing
services. I am immensely proud of Focus
Ireland’s work and commend it to you.
Given the circumstances within which
we work of more profound needs on a
greater scale, and with funding required
by organisations like Focus Ireland being
cut, I am particularly proud that we have
continued to innovate and harness
greater support and resolve.
On behalf of Focus Ireland - Thank you.
Declan Jones
Chief Executive
04

A Word from Sr Stanislaus Kennedy, Life President
Finding (and keeping) a home is a
complex and competitive business, which
demands a clear mind, a high degree of
responsibility – and money. This complex
and expensive business has become even
more difficult in the competitive, highly
priced Ireland of today, and it is not
surprising that more and more people are
finding that they can’t manage it. The
result is a growing homeless population,
representing people from all social levels.
Irish governments have always had
housing policies that encouraged home
ownership for the middle classes; in the
past, these policies were complemented
by a policy of providing housing for those
who could not hope to own their own
homes, and so we had local authority
housing developments being built right
up through the middle and into the later
part of the twentieth century. But it
seems that in recent decades we have
abandoned the historic policy of
provision of social housing for those who
cannot afford to house themselves. Local
authority housing for rent now comprises
only 9% of the total housing stock,
compared with 20% during the 1960s.
This decline in public housing has been
accompanied by a decline in the private
rented sector, from 42% of housing
stock in 1946 to less than 11% today.
The effect of this, along with the rise in
house values, has had the effect of
pushing rents beyond the reach of
people on low incomes.
There is now a sizeable portion of our
population who are not eligible for public
housing and yet cannot afford either to
buy or to rent in the private sector. There
is also a sizeable portion of our
population who are eligible for public
housing but who cannot access it
because it is simply not available. The
housing waiting list has almost trebled in
the last 15 years. This is nothing short
of disgraceful coming as it does after
almost 15 years of unprecedented levels
of economic growth and
budget surpluses.
What are the people on these housing
lists supposed to do while they wait
Low-rent accommodation is scarce, and,
when faced with the choice between
spending most of their limited funds on
rent and having something to spend on
food, many people are forced to choose
food. This is where our homeless
population comes from: homeless people
are people whom the local authorities
cannot or will not or at any rate do not
house, and who cannot afford to house
themselves and eat as well.
A home is a basic human right and I
believe a home should be a constitutional
right. Until we as a nation see that this is
so and acknowledge that this is so and
demand of our politicians and our policymakers
that they accept this and act on
this premise, we will never tackle the
problem of homelessness. Until our
policy-makers have the imagination and
above all the courage to acknowledge the
structural and root causes of this housing
crisis and they have the commitment and
political will to remove all and any of
these causes the housing waiting lists
will not be eliminated and homelessness
will not be reduced.
Stanislaus Kennedy
Life President
05

Meeting the need
07

OUT OF HOME
>>
APPROPRIATE SERVICES
AND SUPPORT
>>
A PLACE CALLED HOME
from the vulnerable single person
who needs supported housing.
For this reason, Focus Ireland offers a
range of specifically targeted services,
in particular for young people under
25, and for families, to help people
deal with, and overcome the particular
issues that affect their lives.
It is the core belief of Focus Ireland
that everyone has a right to a place
they can call home and we work on a
daily basis to help try and make this
a reality for people who are
experiencing homelessness.
Homelessness is a complex problem
and cannot always be solved by
simply providing a roof over
somebody’s head. Many people who
are homeless may have a wide range
of issues and problems to deal with
in their lives which add to what is an
already highly-stressful situation for
them. The needs of different kinds of
people who find themselves
homeless, or at risk of being so, also
vary considerably. For example, the
needs of a teenager sleeping rough
on the streets are quite distinct from
those a family living in a B & B, or
Focus Ireland also aims to offer a
continuum of care. Many of our
services are interlinked in order to
help people move through the stages
of homelessness, by offering
different levels of help and support
according to what a person needs at
a particular moment in their lives.
The following pages detail how our
service plan works, from our Coffee
Shop and Crisis Desk which is often
the first port of call when a person
finds themselves homeless, through
targeted services for homeless young
people and homeless families, through
the provision of medium term
accommodation and development
programmes, to the final goal of
settlement, either in one of our own
supported housing projects or in
the community.
08

Meeting the need
The first port of call

12
FOR ME, FOCUS IRELAND
WAS LIKE BEING THROWN
A LIFE-LINE. 52 year old
Claire eventually found a
home with the help of
Focus Ireland.

THE FOCUS IRELAND COFFEE
SHOP AND HOUSING ADVICE
CENTRE
The Coffee Shop is perhaps the best
known of Focus Ireland’s many
services. It has been the focal point
of the organisation over the years,
since it first opened its doors back in
1985 right in the heart of Temple Bar
in Dublin. It has a welcoming social
environment where people who are
out-of-home can get snacks and good
quality hot meals at a very reasonable
price. The service is open to adults
over 18 years of age and to families.
It is a vital service as it can be hard
for individuals and families to keep
up a regular healthy diet when they
have no permanent home or place to
stay. It also acts as our central
referral point. Staff refer customers to
other Focus Ireland services and to
other relevant services.
The Coffee Shop extended its service
from five to seven days in 2002 as a
direct response to a growing demand
from our customers. Its opening
hours during the week were also
extended and it now opens from
10am until 5.30pm from Monday
through to Friday. There is an
extended lunchtime during the week
with hot lunch being served between
12 noon and 3pm. There are also
social and educational activities held
for adults during the afternoon. The
service had more than 2,600
customers in 2002.
Brendan Cunningham, Project
Leader of the Coffee Shop said: "Our
customers are either living on the
streets or in unsuitable emergency
accommodation where they have no
cooking facilities so it’s important
that they have somewhere they can
get quality food which they can
afford on a seven-day basis. You see
a lot of the same people coming in
every day - single men, women and
families. Many of them depend on
this service. It helps give their day
some solid structure as its
somewhere they are welcome and
not somewhere they are being moved
on from. We’re here to help but
sometimes it may be just as helpful
for them to see a friendly face and
have someone to talk to about what’s
going on in their life."
THE CRISIS TEAM
Based on site in the Coffee Shop, the
Crisis Team is accessible to help
people who need advice and
information on specific issues, such
as housing, health and social welfare
entitlements. The team also provides
ongoing individual support to people,
advocating on their behalf with local
authorities and health services, and
supporting them during their period
of homelessness to help them find
solutions to change their situation.
In 2002 the Crisis team helped
771 people.
13

Meeting the need
Reaching our Homeless Youth

BY TREATING PEOPLE
WITH RESPECT AND
DIGNITY, BY GIVING
THEM A HUMAN FACE,
YOU CAN OFFER HOPE
AND STABILITY.
Outreach Team Member.
Focus Ireland is a leading provider
of services for homeless young
people. In 2002 we provided help
for 1,382 young people aged 12 –
25 through a wide range of projects
and initiatives.
THE OUTREACH TEAM works on the
streets seven days and nights a
week, meeting young people
sleeping rough on Dublin’s streets.
They work to develop trusting
relationships with the people they
come in contact with, offering
practical help and linking them to
services to help them move out of
their current situation.
In 2002 the Outreach Team met
897 individuals and 56% of these
were under 26 years of age.
THE LOFT is a day centre for young
people under 18 year’s of age. It is
open seven days a week and
provides a safe environment away
from the streets where young people
can eat, shower and participate in
recreational and educational
activities. Staff liase with health
boards to ensure that each young
person is moved from the dangers of
the street scene as quickly as
possible. 136 young people used the
Loft in 2002
THE EXTENSION is a day centre for
young people aged between 18 and
25 year’s old who are homeless. It
provides practical facilities including
showers, laundry and cooking facilities.
Staff help customers to identify their
needs, provide them with support and
also advocate with other organisations
on their behalf. 200 people came to
the Extension in 2002.
16

OFF-THE-STREETS IS THE
BEST HOSTEL. STAFF
COMMUNICATE WITH
YOU. THE ATMOSPHERE
IS HOMELIKE.
Past resident, OTS.
THE YOUNG WOMEN’S AFTERCARE
PROJECT offers transitional
accommodation to young women who
have left State care or who have
experienced street homelessness. Staff
provide support to the young women
living in the project and after they
move on to independent living. Four
young women made their home here
in 2002
OFF-THE-STREETS - young people
aged between 16 and 18 are
provided with residential and
emergency accommodation.
90 young people stayed in Off the
Streets in 2002
AFTER-CARE PROGRAMMES -
residential support is provided in our
Stanhope Green, Limerick and
Waterford projects to young people
who have left State care and want to
pursue training or education
programmes. A total of 14 young
people who had left care called
Focus Ireland home in 2002
SPOKES PROGRAMME - offers
training and preparation for work skills.
19

The Extension Drop-in Centre
Opens Seven Days
Focus Ireland has been witnessing
the phenomenon of youth
homelessness for over a decade. We
continuously review, alter and
expand our services in response to
the changing situations and needs of
young people who are homeless. A
key development at the end of 2002
saw the expansion of our Extension
Drop-in Centre, serving 18 – 25 year
olds, from five days to seven days a
week. Week-day hours also
increased from five mornings and
three afternoons to opening from
10.30 am to 6.30 pm every day.
Accompanying the change in
opening hours is a shift in emphasis
of the project. Over recent years our
Street Outreach Team has seen a
significant increase in the numbers
of severely marginalised young
people they are working with.
Increasing and changing drug use
has heightened the chaotic
circumstances of young people
sleeping rough, making it impossible
for them to access most of the
services that could help them
change their situation. The
Extension now primarily services
contacts referred by the Outreach
Team. It has become a specialised
unit serving the needs of the most
marginalised young homeless people
in society. This change in emphasis
has brought about a number of
significant developments.
The Extension traditionally served
around 15 people a day. However,
since December 2002 up to 60
young people access the centre in
any one day. Staff numbers have
risen accordingly to meet this extra
demand. The whole approach of the
service has changed to become more
flexible. All policies are aimed at
helping change behaviour, rather
than punishing behaviour. Sanctions
such as barring are used as little as
possible.
The work has become very
individualised to deal with the very
specific needs of each customer, with
less of a focus on group work and
group activities than previously. "It is
a long journey for these young
people," says Fiona Lorden, manager
of the service. "But even in the short
time since the shift in emphasis, the
small incremental steps that people
need to make seem to take a little
less time. The change in the service
means that the most marginalised
young people can access services that
were not available to them before."
20

The Spokes Programme Opens
In February 2002, the Drugs Task
Force provided funding to establish a
pilot ‘Preparation for Work’ programme
to offer homeless young people the
opportunity to gain qualifications and
practical skills to enable them to gain
employment. Based in the Extension
and accredited by the Further
Education and Awards Council,
courses are offered in Maths, English
and Communication, Computer
Literacy, preparation for work as well
as an introduction to kayaking and
outdoor pursuits.
Spokes is a different kind of
‘classroom’, allowing participants to
use the programme at whatever level
they are ready for. Young people can
drop into the Spokes room to use
the computer, job search, surf the
net or simply have a chat. This
informal approach is designed to
encourage people to use the
facilities and allows them build
confidence to participate more fully.
When a client is ready staff discuss
their needs with them and working
together they develop a customised
plan. This can include completing a
FETAC module at their own pace in
the Spokes programme, or linking
them to appropriate courses within
the community. During 2002 a
number of participants attended
Colaiste Ide in Finglas to study and
gain a European Computer Driving
License. This provided the added
benefit of allowing them experience
the environs of a third level college,
building their confidence and
providing a positive experience of
formal education.
A further element of Spokes comes via
the ESB Core Programme, which
provides funding for courses for
individual young people appropriate to
their particular needs. These include
fork-lift driving courses, computer
skills, driving lessons etc. Business in
the Community has also been a
valuable support, with some Spokes
participants gaining employment
places with Marks & Spencer as part
of their involvement.
Spokes started as a small programme
and was attended by 25 participants
in 2002. The agency has recognised
its potential and hopes to continue
and grow the programme after the
pilot is completed.
European Funding Provides
Computer Access for Young People
This programme assists young
customers develop their skills was
established in 2002 as part of Project
Hermes, a European Programme
whose aim is to introduce Information
Communication Technology (ICT) to
marginalised groups. The programme
was launched by Focus Ireland in
March along with projects in Denmark,
Holland and the UK. Computers,
training and internet access were
provided to customers using our Loft,
Extension and Outreach services. It is
hoped that this programme will
empower socially excluded groups
through the use of information
techology. Participants will have an
opportunity in 2003 to discuss their
experiences at a conference of all
participating countries.
23

Meeting the need
Families in Focus

26
I’VE BEEN LIVING HERE
FOR NEARLY TWO YEARS
NOW AND I’M NO NEARER
GETTING A PROPER
HOUSE. IT’S NO PLACE TO
BE BRINGING UP KIDS,
THEY’VE NOWHERE TO
PLAY AND THERE’S NO
KIDS THEIR AGE LIVING
HERE. IT’S DOING MY
HEAD IN LIVING LIKE THIS.
IT TAKES A TERRIBLE TOLL
ON THE WHOLE FAMILY.
Danny, 32, living in B & B
emergency accommodation
in Dublin with his partner
and two young children.

In 2002, as in previous years, the
tragedy of family homelessness
continued to be a major issue
confronting Focus Ireland.
The practice of using emergency Bed
and Breakfast accommodation to
house families in crisis situations
showed little sign of abating despite
recurring calls on government by
Focus Ireland and other members of
the voluntary sector to cease this
form of accommodation which is
highly inappropriate to family life
and extremely detrimental to the
health and wellbeing of both children
and parents.
During 2002 our services found
themselves working with families who
are spending hugely increased periods
of time in B & B accommodation; it is
now common for families to be
housed this way for eighteen months
or more. This phenomenon is
impacting on all services, for example
the Focus Ireland Childcare Centre in
Johns Lane West saw a number of
children who spent over a year
attending the Centre, a service
designed as an emergency resource
during the weeks or a few months a
family was homeless.
27

THE FAMILY PROGRAMME - is a
drop-in, weekday morning service for
families. The programme runs a
number of activities for parents and
provides a crèche for children.
Sponsorship from AIB has facilitated
the addition of the Schoolmate
Programme which aims to keep the
older children in school.
CHILD CARE CENTRES - offer
children time and space to play and
meet their peers away from the
confines of B&Bs, emergency and
transitional accommodation.
Children are given a hot,mid-day
meal and families have access to
health professionals including GPs,
Public Health Nurses and Speech
and Language Therapists. In 2002,
our four Childcare Centres cared for
201 children.
ALYWARD GREEN in Finglas is the
first project in Ireland to offer
purpose built emergency
accomodation for families.
TRANSITIONAL AND LONG TERM
ACCOMMODATION - A total of 52
adults & 87 children were living in
homes in Focus Ireland’s long-term
housing projects in 2002 while 29
adults & 38 children participated in
transitional housing programmes.
28

Happy Birthday Aylward Green
Aylward Green celebrated its first
birthday in 2002. A unique initiative,
it is the first and, to date, only project
in Ireland providing purpose built
quality emergency accommodation for
families who are homeless. The
project has thirteen emergency two
and three bedroom homes, as well as
eleven long term homes.
The families living in the emergency
accommodation have mostly come
from B&Bs and hostels. When
families come to Aylward Green, staff
in the project assess their needs and
provide them with appropriate
support to help them move on to
independent living. Fundamental to
the project however is the
involvement of the families
themselves in assessing their own
needs. Staff asks participants to look
at where they are, where they want to
be, and what they think is blocking
them. They need to examine why they
lost their home, and where necessary
accept responsibility for issues that
may have contributed. Staff can then
aid them address these issues in
order to move on.
Children who have been homeless are
hugely affected by the insecurity they
have known so programmes for them
are intrinsic to the project’s work. A
breakfast club is provided for the
children before they go to school, but
the club is about more than just
eating breakfast, it’s a place where
young people can talk together in a
social setting, eat a nutritious
breakfast and interact with staff.
Homework clubs, holiday programmes
and one to one work are provided, via
the AIB Schoolmate Programme.
Children enjoy the structure of the
project. It adds to their sense of self
and their sense of security, something
many would not have experienced in
the past. For many of them
homelessness is about ‘loss’ - the loss
of somewhere to play, invite their
friends, do their homework or simply a
place they can feel safe.
All our staff and customers would
agree that Aylward Green’s first year
has been a resounding success but
there have certainly been problems
with move-on accommodation which
has resulted in many families
staying for an average of six months.
However, the bigger picture is about
a longer term investment in families
who otherwise would have remained
in a homeless situation longer and
whose children would not have the
opportunities that many children
take for granted.
MARK’S STORY
Mark was in his early twenties when his partner Jane gave birth to twin girls. He and Jane were living with Jane’s mother in
a local authority house at the time the twins were born. Jane became terminally ill and only lived until her babies were 18
months old. After her death Mark and Jane’s mother raised the children. Three years later Jane’s mother died leaving Mark
alone with the twins. Because Mark had no succession rights to the house he was evicted by the local authority and went to
live in emergency B&B accommodation with his twin daughters. Three months later the Homeless Persons Unit referred
Mark to Focus Ireland’s Aylward Green project. He was given emergency housing and his children were linked with the
childcare facilities available at the project. Project staff supported Mark in his application for a secure home for himself and
his children. Mark’s little girls are now five years old and are attending school, they also attend the junior after school club in
the project. Their school reports say they are well balanced little girls. Mark was recently offered a local authority house
back in his own community and is due to move in May 2003. He will be linked in with Focus Ireland’s Community
Settlement Team who will help him make the move successfully.
29

AIB Schoolmate Project
In 2002 Focus Ireland’s AIB
Schoolmate project was launched.
The project forms part of AIB’s
Better Ireland Programme, which
supports the work of Focus Ireland,
Barnardos and the ISPCC. It funds
programmes designed to keep at-risk
children in school. The emphasis is
on targeting those who might
otherwise drop out of education
because their families are affected
by homelessness, poverty or
drug abuse.
Schoolmate is particularly relevant
for those families living in
emergency Bed and Breakfast
accommodation, and who are
accessing Focus Ireland’s Family
Programme. For many such children
education is the only stable element
in their lives once their family’s
home has been lost. The programme
also helps the children of families
living in Focus Ireland’s Emergency
Accommodation Project in Alyward
Green, Finglas.
Schoolmate works in a variety of
ways. Children are assisted with
transport to school, which is often a
great distance from their
accommodation. Schoolmate staff
liase with parents and teachers in an
effort to overcome any problems an
individual child might have with
attendance or their performance in
the classroom. After school clubs
help children catch up with any work
they have fallen behind on and also
help foster a child’s general
development and self-confidence.
Parents are assisted in practical ways
so they can understand their child’s
homework, a factor which often reaps
very significant benefits. Weekend
and holiday programmes also keep
children interested and occupied.
JOHN’S STORY
John, aged 12, used the Schoolmate service in 2002. At the time he was living with his mum and his three preschool
age siblings in a B&B in Dublin’s south inner city. The family had been moved a number of times, disrupting
his attendance at school which lead to learning and literacy difficulties. When he came to Schoolmate he had
dropped out of school. John’s mum was deaf. As the eldest, it was clear John had become used to acting as ‘his
mother’s ears’, and as such had become a solitary, isolated child, old beyond his years. John first attended the
After School programme. After repeated encouragement from staff, he made significant progress and began
playing and interacting with other children, which was very much a new step for him. Under the School Link
programme a volunteer tutor was provided for John and he made great strides with his literacy problems and
general schooling. After all of his records from his many previous schools were gathered, John was enrolled in an
appropriate school where he is still attending and doing well. Schoolmate also helped his little brother, aged 6,
start at his first school. The family now have a new apartment which they obtained with the support of the Family
Programme. (The name has been changed in this case study)
30

Meeting the need
Moving on

Focus Ireland’s Transitional Housing
Programme Prepares the Way
For many people who become
homeless, the lack of a home is not
simply about four walls and a roof.
Many people have serious issues in
their lives that have contributed to
them becoming homeless, and
unless these can be addressed,
homelessness is simply a symptom of
a much deeper problem.
Focus Ireland’s transitional housing
programme pioneered the way for
such initiatives in Ireland and the
organisation currently has 40 units
of transitional accommodation;
houses and apartments that are
offered to single people and families
for a specified time period, usually
about a year. During this time,
participants take part in a structured
programme of activities designed to
aid and empower them to discover
and address the reasons they
became homeless. They also learn
the practical elements of
maintaining a home, such as
cooking, budgeting, house keeping
and bill-paying. Families are helped
with parenting. Childcare centres
and after school programmes work
with the children, helping them deal
with and overcome difficulties in
their lives that stem from the
insecurity and instability of life while
their family was homeless. When
families have completed the
programme and are ready to move
on, the Focus Ireland Community
Settlement Team assists them make
the change and settle into their new
homes and communities.
SARAH’S STORY
Sarah is 20 years old and has learning difficulties. After a period of homelessness Sarah came to live in our
transitional programme in George’s Hill with her young daughter. She already had an older child who was in
State care and whilst living in George’s Hill she gave birth to a baby son. Unfortunately her relationship with
the child’s father did not last and Sarah was left to rear the child on her own. Due to her learning difficulties
Sarah had trouble interacting with her children and maintaining a home. She participated in our transitional
programme for a period of nine months. During this time staff helped her to learn the skills she needed to be
more assertive, maintain her home and care for her children. Sarah now has some contact with her older
child. After completing the transitional programme Sarah was offered a local authority house back in her own
community. Focus Ireland’s Community Settlement Team linked in with Sarah before she left the transitional
programme and helped her address issues prior to the move. She is now settled in her new home with her
children and receives regular visits help and support from the Community Settlement Team.
34

We are always happy when we hear
success stories. Our transitional
programmes have brought the same
level of happiness to many people
like Sarah. However, the external
environment is changing and the
transitional programmes are now
facing what our staff describe as a
‘silt up’ in terms of move-on options
for many of the transitional
programme participants. This
situation presented our projects and
staff with new challenges, new
frustration and our customers with a
new sense of hopelessness. The year
saw the numbers on the waiting lists
rise by a staggering 24 per cent from
39,000 households in 1999 to over
48,000 in 2002. As a result of this
shortage of local authority housing
clients who have completed our
programmes and are ready to move
on with their lives have no place to
move on to. It has resulted in many
remaining in the programme’s
accommodation for between 8 – 12
months after the programme has
finished. It means those wishing to
participate in the programme remain
homeless longer.
YOU SHOULD SEE PEOPLE
WHEN THEY HEAR THEY
HAVE AN INTERVIEW FOR
ONE OF OUR TRANSTIONAL
HOUSING PROJECTS. THEY
KNOW THEY MAY NOT BE
SUCCESSFUL, BUT IT’S
THE FIRST, TINY, GLIMMER
OF HOPE. Crisis Team
Member, Focus Ireland.
35

Meeting the need
At home

I’M DELIGHTED I CAME
HERE, I’VE CHANGED
COMPLETELY. I’M
HAPPIER. I NEVER HAD
ANY HOPE UNTIL I
CAME HERE.
Focus Ireland tenant.
Ar Home with Focus Ireland
In 2002, nearly 500 people have a
place to call home in a Focus
Ireland development. However, a
visitor to one of our long term
housing projects, would not
necessarily see Focus Ireland’s name
above the gate, or realise that the
block of apartments or housing
estate was in any way different from
the neighbouring properties. This is
because Focus Ireland intends that
our long term properties differ as
little as possible from any other type
of long-term accommodation –
except that our tenants know they
have a secure home for as long as
they should wish to live there.
Some people who live in our long
term housing projects are more
vulnerable than others, due perhaps
to mental health issues or disability,
or to past trauma in their lives. For
these tenants, the support offered by
Focus Ireland is a constant
reassurance that we will be there for
them in times of difficulty to ensure
they do not fall back into the cycle
of homeless. However, in every way
possible, tenants are encouraged to
be as independent as they are able
and to live their lives as empowered,
contributing members of their
communities.
38

At Home in the Community
When people who have been
homeless are finally obtain a home,
whether via the local authority, the
voluntary social housing sector, or
the private rented sector, it seems as
if finally they have reached their
goal. All their problems should be
over. Yet, for many people who have
been homeless, the period of
adjustment to a new home can pose
a whole new set of difficulties that
can threaten their newly found
security. People who have been
homeless for a long time may have
become used to being
institutionalised and may find
adapting to life alone very lonely and
difficult. Others may have been given
accommodation far from the
community they know and have lost
the immediate support of family and
friends. Children may have great
difficulty adjusting to new schools,
particularly if their previous school
attendance has been continuously
disrupted.
The Focus Ireland Community
Settlement Team works with families
during the first six months to a year
of their moving to long term
accommodation. Team members visit
families informally in their new
homes and provide support to help
them settle into the community, and
ensure that problems which surface
do not endanger their new security.
39

THE PLACES WE CALL HOME - Focus Ireland Long-Term Housing Projects
STANHOPE GREEN, DUBLIN 7 76 apartments for single adults
GEORGES HILL, DUBLIN 7 40 apartments for single adults and 13
apartments for families
FINGLAS
11 houses for families
BASIN LANE, DUBLIN 8 15 apartments for single adults.
BALLYBOUGH, DUBLIN Five apartments for adults with a
learning disability
WATERFORD
Eight houses for families and 38 houses for
single people.
LIMERICK
17 apartments for single people.
40

2002 Sees a Specialist Childcare
Worker Join the Community
Settlement Team
In 2002, the Irish Youth Foundation
provided a two year grant to enable
Focus Ireland to recruit a Childcare
Worker to join the Community
Settlement Team. The team had
been seeking this service for a
number of years to enable them to
provide specialised help for children
who were having difficultly adjusting
following a period of homelessness.
The services of the new team
member are vitally important to
these children. She has found that
she needs to help with practical
issues such as physical care,
hygiene and nutrition, but equally
importantly, she works to to address
the deeper scars that can have
resulted from the child’s experience
of homelessness, such as loss of self
esteem, behavioural difficulties and
insecurity. Children are helped
adjust to new schools and the
potential hazards, such as bullying,
this may involve, and where
necessary she refers them to
specialist areas such as bereavement
counselling, post-traumatic stress
counselling and family therapy.
JERRY’S STORY
Jerry, his little brother, and their mum and dad had been homeless for some time before obtaining a house in
the Focus Ireland Alyward Green Housing Project, Finglas. When the family moved to a local authority house,
it became apparent that Jerry was spending a lot of time out of school. His mother was pregnant and very
unwell and his father works outside the home. The Childcare Settlement Worker addressed this with the family
in an understanding, supportive way. A meeting was arranged with the school principal, school liaison officer,
and class teacher. It transpired that Jerry was anxious about school, and his parents found it easier not to push
him. The school had no idea of their past difficulties and instability. The outcome of bringing everyone together
was that the school gained an understanding of the family situation and was able to suggest ways of dealing
with some of the issues. The parents felt that the school was being supportive and agreed to work together
with them. Jerry is doing much better at school. Names have been changed in this case study.
41

Research, Development
and Education

44
Lobbying for change
Falling rates of economic growth, a
slowdown in job creation and falling
income growth were issues for all of
us this year. Focus Ireland remains
committed to the challenge of
reducing the growing gap between rich
and poor, tackling inequality and social
exclusion and undertaking action to
solve the ongoing housing crisis.
JERRY’S STORY
Jerry became homeless in August 2001 and as a result of a
serious medical condition received medical priority from the
local authority in October 2001. In February 2002 our staff were
told that it would take a further six months before Jerry would be
housed. Almost 18 months after Jerry received medical priority
he is still living in B&B accommodation and is being consistently
told there is nothing available. In November 2002 Jerry was 20th
on the housing list for one-bedroom accommodation, five
months later he is number 19th.
Education Programme
Education is an important part of our
public awareness work to improve
understanding of the problems and
also to act as an early intervention
tool, especially in the case of young
people who are in high-risk situations
that could result in homelessness.
This year saw Focus Ireland continue
to develop its school talks with the
help of our specially trained team of
seven volunteers led by the coordinator
of the programme. The
education programme also acts to
support our existing modules for the
Leaving Certificate Applied and Civic,
Social and Political Education
programmes which are part of the
curriculum in many secondary
schools. Both initiatives are also
supported by the use of the Focus
Ireland video ‘Have you no home to
go to’ which portrays the experiences
of young people, adults and families
who are, or who have been homeless.
For the past six years Focus Ireland
has provided training to "Phase
Three" student Gardaí in
Templemore. The training programme
is provided by Focus Ireland staff
and aims to increase awareness
about the complex issues faced by
people who are homeless. It also
provides the student Gardaí with
practical information about homeless
services available so they will be able
to assist people they deal with in the
course of their work.
Election 2002
Unfortunately stories like Jerry’s are
becoming all too common. The
2002 election, as well a further
increase in the local authority
waiting lists, led us once again to
develop a campaign calling for the
government to tackle the housing
problem once and for all. We called
for a number of actions to be taken
by the incoming Government:
- New legislation providing for a
Right to Housing.
- Integrated and comprehensive
strategies to be developed by all
local authorities to effectively
address homelessness
- Urgent action to be taken to
effectively cut the housing
waiting lists
The main components of the preelection
campaign included writing
to TDs and Senators along with
advocacy advertising in the Irish
Times. In conjunction with this we
distributed 50,000 postcards to the
general public outlining solutions to
this problem, and urged voters to
take-up this issue with their TDs.

Budget 2002 – a missed opportunity
We believe the 2002 budget was an
opportunity for the Government to
make serious inroads into the
homeless problem. As part of our prebudget
campaign we asked for
increased investment in social
housing, instead the Government cut
a staggering €50 million from the
housing budget.
In the year ahead we will continue to
contribute to policy and political
forums on housing and race,
fundamental rights, child poverty
and planning and development
issues, and to speak up for some of
the most socially excluded people in
Irish society today.
Focus Ireland Research
Research is a key component of the
work of Focus Ireland, helping to
identify trends in homelessness, and
putting forward recommendations
and solutions to help tackle the
specific problems it identifies.
Studies released in 2002
Housing Access for All
This report, an analysis of housing
strategies and homeless action plans,
was launched in July. This research
was initiated in response to new
policy developments in 2000, which
included the Planning and
Development Act 2000 and the
publication of Homelessness An
Integrated Strategy. The purpose of
the research was to explore the
information emerging regarding social
need and exclusion and to analyse
the likely contribution of these two
policy documents. The research study
was funded by the Combat Poverty
Agency and carried out by Focus
Ireland in collaboration with St.
Vincent de Paul, Simon Communities
of Ireland and Threshold. The four
organizations involved in this research
are taking positive action to use its
findings to try and influence
Government and policy makers to
ensure the Housing Strategies and
the Homeless Action Plans are
effective in providing housing and
accommodation to people most in
need.
The four organisations are planning
to meet with the key players from
the different groups of policy
influencers affecting the HS and
HAPs to discuss our policy position.
The main aim is to affect change in
national and local housing policy.
The different target groups are
critical to housing/ homeless
provision in the context of the
Homeless Action Plans / Housing
Strategies. They are senior
Department of the Environment
staff, party spokespersons on
Housing / Accommodation, Trade
Unions, members of the local
Homeless Forums and Housing
Strategic Policy Committees, and
senior Health Board officials charged
with homeless service provision. At
the end of 2002 this important work
was still on-going and will be further
developed over the next year. The
full research is available at
www.focusireland.ie .
Crime and Homelessness
This valuable joint project in
collaboration with PACE (Prisoners
Aid Through Community Effort)
explored the link between crime and
homelessness and prison release and
made a number of key
recommendations for changes to
help prisoners avoid becoming
homeless upon release.
45

Fundraising

The pressure on Focus Ireland to
generate a substantial amount of our
own income increases every year.
Despite uncertain economic times we
have continued to achieve our everincreasing
targets. In 2002 we raised
a total of €2.75 million - up 28% on
the previous year. The majority of
this income came from individual
donors, whose support continues to
be invaluable. Without this
commitment much of our work would
not be possible. It not only facilitates
us in running our day-to-day services
but also gives us the confidence to
expand so that we can meet the
needs of clients into the future.
Committed Giving
More people than ever joined Focus
Ireland in 2002 as committed givers
by standing order or direct debit,
contributing €384,000. We are
especially grateful to those who were
able to support us at the level of
€21 a month, or €250 a year. It
meant we can avail of the tax reclaim
facility which will be worth about
€100,000 for 2002.
TV Appeal
In November 2002, with
sponsorship from permanent tsb, we
launched our first ever television
campaign to raise public awareness,
recruit direct debit donors, and
encourage support for our Christmas
campaign. Titled "Against the Tide",
the 60-second advert depicted a
young mother and her two children
struggling against a crowd that could
not see or hear them. It aimed to
highlight the plight of the hundreds
of "invisible" homeless families
living in B&B accommodation.
Everyone involved in the ad,
including the ad agency, production
company, editing house, crew and
actors - all donated their services. It
was a gesture, we believe, which
demonstrates the high regard in
which the work of Focus Ireland is
held. Even our staff and local donors
got in on the act by performing as
extras for the day.
Pennies from Heaven
Focus Ireland was one of 11 charities
to benefit from the euro changeover
campaign, ‘Pennies from Heaven’.
Thanks to this massive endeavour and
the incredible support of the Irish
public, each charity received
€495,000, €200,000 of which was
received by Focus Ireland in 2002.
The remainder was paid in 2003.
Christmas Tree Campaign
The first ever "Focus Ireland
Christmas Tree for the Homeless"
campaign captured the imagination
of the public and businesses alike.
Dublin City Council kindly allowed
Focus Ireland to dedicate the
Grafton Street Christmas Tree to the
homeless of Ireland, and companies
purchased stars on the tree, raising
€170,000.
48

Events
Our regular programme of events
provided many of the highlights of
the fundraising year. Our Peaks
Challenges remained our biggest
event income-earners, with the Four
Peaks and Western Isles Challenges
raising a combined total of
€215,000. Also popular were the
Black-Tie events organised by our
GAFF Committee of young
professionals. Repeat runs of the
Dublin Castle Ball and James Bond
Casino Night brought the total GAFF
income for 2002 to €40,000 – a
fantastic achievement by this group
of young people whose consistent
enthusiasm and dedication
continues, despite their own busy
work and personal schedules. We
took advantage of World Cup football
fever with a prize draw for a
fabulous holiday to Japan and
tickets to see Ireland’s three first
round matches. Once again our
many supporters stepped in to help
sell tickets, raising over €30,000.
Fundraising Income
Individual donations 37%
Corporate Doners 26%
Events 15%
School & Community Groups 5%
Bequests 7%
Trusts 2%
Pennies from Heaven 8%
Corporate Support
Corporate partnerships continue to
play an important part in our
fundraising strategy. Support from the
business community raised over
€692,000 in 2002. Our principal
corporate partner, permanent tsb,
maintained a number of initiatives
throughout the year. These included
sponsoring events, encouraging staff
fundraising, providing training
support, and funding publications and
advertising. The AIB Better Ireland
Programme also continues to fund our
Schoolmate Project within the Family
Programme and generously supported
our Christmas Tree Campaign.
TGI Friday & Leisureplex raised
€35,000 through a highly successful
campaign to add an optional €2 to
each customer’s bill. Lever Faberge
raised €8,000 through a Comfortsponsored
‘Hug Day’ on Grafton
Street, and Marks & Spencer donated
the proceeds of their Christmas card
sales to Focus Ireland.
A brave team from the Institute of
Directors trekked to the Inca Capital of
Macchipichu in Peru and raised over
€37,000 which they donated to our work.
49

Investing in our staff

Although it is true to say that people
are a critical resource for any
organisation, some would argue that
voluntary organisations are particularly
reliant on their human resources.
Focus Ireland has always been
committed to the quality of its service
provision. We recognise that this
quality can only be maintained by
dedicated staff and once recruited we
do our utmost to ensure that staff
development and training is not
ignored. As such, we are committed
to the welfare of our staff and to
developing staff to their full potential.
In 2002 Focus Ireland implemented a
comprehensive training and
development programme for our
employees. This has resulted in the
empowerment of staff at all levels to
engage with each other and to build
on their skills. It has given us the
opportunity to utilise the expertise and
knowledge of internal trainers and to
recognise the talents of existing staff
members. A further benefit of the
training and development programme
is its accessibility to all staff including
our volunteers who give so freely of
their time.
In 2002 we invested in health,
safety and welfare infrastructure
within the organisation thus ensuring
that Focus Ireland is a safe place to
work. We intend in 2003 to build
on this and to further enhance our
health and safety systems.
The strategy for the year ahead is to
further improve conditions for our
employees by ensuring greater career
development opportunities and
greater transparency in regard to the
deployment of resources throughout
the organisation. We will continue to
monitor the turnover of staff and
build mechanisms to minimise the
adverse impact of attrition on
the organisation.
52

New in 2003

Social Exclusion, Food Poverty
and Homelessness in Dublin
This research study, funded by the
Combat Poverty Agency began in
2002 in response to the identification
of food poverty as an emerging
important issue across a range of
social policy domains including social
welfare, health, education and
housing. The broad objective of the
study is to investigate the nature and
extent of food poverty among a
sample population of adults who are
out-of-home and availing of homeless
services in the Dublin area in order to:
- Input to policy formulation to
tackle food poverty
- Affect positive change in the
delivery of homeless services
Caretakers Hostel
Caretakers is a place where young
people (16 – 21 years of age) who
have experience of substance misuse
and the homeless street scene and
are currently living out of home, can
enjoy a nights accommodation in a
safe, non-judgemental, drug free
environment. The project provides
nine beds, and complementary
support services and activities
during the day. The primary aim of
the facility is to offer a
comprehensive service to this group
including structure, support, and
guidance. This facility is offered by
Focus Ireland and supported by St
Vincent de Paul, Irish Famine
Commemoration Fund and the Irish
Youth Foundation.
Homelessness and Health –
a series of 10 modules for the
nursing degree programmes
The development of modules for the
nursing degree programmes is our
first foray into the development of
materials for third level students.
Our growing awareness of health
issues, including mental health,
compounded by the realisation that
many health staff were often not
familiar with homelessness and the
health issues it presents, prompted
Focus Ireland’s development of 10
modules. Each one examines the
different health issues facing people
who are out-of-home.
Scribblestown, Finglas
This housing project is the first of its
kind undertaken by a voluntary
housing agency. The project is being
developed for eight traveller families.
The families have been involved in
the development and design of the
project from the outset.
56