Housing First enables people who may have been homeless and who have high levels of complex needs to obtain permanent secure accommodation, with intensive supports, to help them maintain their tenancies. The National Implementation Plan for Housing First, published in September 2018, contains targets for each local authority, with an overall national target of 663 tenancies to be delivered by 2021, including 221 in 2018/19, 222 in 2020 and 221 in 2022. The Dublin Region Housing First Service has housed 276 homeless individuals to end April 2019, of which 87% have successfully retained housing.
In line with the Housing First National Implementation Plan, Housing First is being delivered on a regional basis by the local authorities and the HSE. During 2019, contracts for the delivery of services have been put in place in the Mid-West, South-West and West Regions. The Midlands, Mid-East, North-East, North-West and South East Regions are all advancing procurement processes for the delivery of Housing First across their respective regions.
Due to the individual circumstances of each Housing First client, my Department is not in a position to specify a single representative figure for the cost of a housing first tenancy.