Proposals were invited for funding from consortia in Cork, Limerick, Galway and the South East region – the largest urban locations for homelessness outside of Dublin. While Housing First had already been introduced in Dublin city this was the first time it was introduced in these areas.

The consortia who applied for funding consisted of:

• local authorities and housing bodies
• the relevant health support functions within the Community Healthcare Organisations (CHOs)
• partner NGOs in the relevant catchment areas

Proposals were submitted in 2018. Applications were assessed by a grants committee comprising of a peer worker with lived experience; Bob Jordan, National Director of Housing First; and staff from the HSE and Genio.

The total available funding was €5.94m:

• €2.17m committed from the HSE (Social Inclusion)
• €2m committed from the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government
• €1.77m from the Atlantic Philanthropies. 

Summary of funding awarded

Each of the applications were rigorously assessed against agreed criteria

Remaining funding from this programme has been allocated toward evaluation of the programme, a national training manual, capacity building and action research.

Current status

• The four regions involved in the SRF Housing First Programme have now established partnerships with relevant stakeholders including Local Authorities, homeless services, Approved Housing Bodies, mental health and addiction services and service users.
• Each region conducted their own tendering process for the delivery of housing.