Novas Youth Homelessess Strategy submission

Submission to the Youth Homelessness Strategy Consultation

About NOVAS

NOVAS is a national housing and homeless charity, providing supports and services to more than 5,500 people annually. We provide services throughout Munster and in Dublin, including homeless accommodation, social housing, Housing First, disability services, addiction and recovery services and dedicated services for young people who are at risk of homelessness.

Opened in 2007, DIAL (Developing Independent Active Living) House is a six-bed residential service which accommodates care leavers with learning disabilities and/or mental health issues, at risk of falling into the cycle of homelessness. It provides a safe, home-like environment for residents. DIAL House offers a two-year life programme to clients and residents, teaching them skills in cooking, cleaning, paying bills and money management, in a bid to equip them for independent living. Peer led learning is at the core of the DIAL ethos. To complement in-house training, all residents are actively encouraged to participate in further education. DIAL also offers an out-reach programme, for young adults living independently in the community, who require tenancy sustainment and life-skills training support. DIAL House provides accommodation and community support for young people throughout the Mid-West and collaborates with Tusla, the local authorities in the region and the HSE.

NOVAS also operates Bellevue House, a six-bed residential service for unaccompanied minors from outside the EU, seeking asylum. It is a long-term specialised Children’s Service, catering for minors between the ages of 12 and 18. Young people who leave the service at 18 years are supported to live in the community or in their transition to the direct provision system. NOVAS also supports young people who experience homelessness as part of their household, through its family services.

NOVAS is a member of national and European advocacy groups, including The Irish Coalition to End Youth Homelessness, which has campaigned for a national strategy on youth homelessness since 2017.

Recommendations

The number of young adults in emergency homeless accommodation in Ireland has nearly doubled in the last six years. The monthly Homeless Report for January 2022 shows that 1,111 people aged between 18 and 24 accessed emergency accommodation.[1] This is a significant rise in the last twelve months. We know that there are many more young people, who experience ‘hidden homelessness’ (couch surfing, rough sleeping, overcrowded, tenuous and substandard accommodation), who are not enumerated in official figures. Young people who have experience of state care, young people from the LGBTQI community and young people with fractured family relationships are particularly vulnerable to homelessness.

As service providers it is incumbent on all of us to prevent homelessness and provide interventions that prevent pathways into large, emergency, hostel-style accommodation, where high-risk behaviours, drug use and institutionalisation can become more entrenched.

  1. Redefine the definition of a Young Person:

Extend the definition of Young Person to 16-24 years (currently 18-24 years), so that at-risk young people are supported before they turn 18 and more prevention measures are put in place.

Homelessness among young people is not random. Children who have experience of state care or state interventions in their households are more likely to become homeless as young adults. So too are children who grow up in overcrowded housing (including young mothers), young people from minority backgrounds, young people who identify as LGBTQI and young people who have experienced significant trauma in their childhood. Extending the definition provides greater opportunity for interventions before adulthood, thus preventing homelessness altogether. Extending the definition of a young person to include the years prior to adulthood is essential to the success of the Youth Homeless Strategy.

  1. Family Support and Mediation Services:

As indicated throughout this submission, the trajectory for young people into homelessness is very often tracked from early childhood. Young people who grow up in homes that experience significant social and economic marginalisation, overcrowding, addiction and trauma are over overrepresented in youth homeless figures. Knowing this allows greater scope for early intervention. Intensive supports, including mediation, in these households is a critical prevention tool. Such intensive support should be targeted at both the young person and the parents in the household. There should be significant emphasis on maintaining and restoring relationships between teenage children and their parents as youth homelessness often derives from family breakdown. A multidisciplinary approach to identifying and supporting at-risk families is essential.

Restore full payment of Job Seekers Allowance for Young people under 25 years:

An unintended consequence of reducing Job Seekers payment for young people more than a decade ago was the acceleration of pathways into homelessness and blocking exits from homelessness among at-risk young people. This practice must cease and restoration of full payment must be immediate so that young people have the same opportunities as other cohorts to live independently.

Continued Aftercare for Young People beyond 21 years:

Aftercare must be provided to all young people who have experienced state care up to the age of 24 years (as per the definition of a young person), irrespective of their education status. By linking Aftercare support to education, marginalised young people who have often experienced disrupted education as children, are further discriminated against.

Moreover, dedicated Aftercare workers must be assigned to young people in a timely and orderly fashion (before they turn 18) so that safe and trusting relationships can be developed and collaborative planning can take place between the young person and their Aftercare worker.

Dedicated housing options for young people:

The provision of dedicated housing options for young people, including Housing First for Youth, is essential to prevent pathways into large, low-threshold hostels for this vulnerable group. A combination of visiting and on-site supported housing options should be available to at-risk young people. Sufficient single units of social housing stock is essential to meet the needs of young people. Elevated HAP payments are essential so young people can compete for scare units of accommodation in the private rented market.

DIAL House is an excellent model of care and support. Placements are planned and staged and the inclusion of a respite bed gives young people the opportunity to experience living there before making a long-term commitment. The respite bed also supports young people in crisis who require emergency placement, who otherwise might be placed in large STA accommodation. The combination of residential and outreach support, provides a range of options for young people, some of whom are reluctant to live with on-site supports. We believe an emulation of this model in other parts of the country, as well as a similar service that caters for low-threshold young people would be very beneficial for young people at risk of homelessness.

A recent SROI (Social Return On Investment) analysis into the DIAL House model of residential and outreach support, found that the service generated a social value of between €5.30 to €6.26 for every €1.00 invested in the service. The analysis found that DIAL House offers a unique mixture of accommodation and life skill training to help young people with preparing for transition into adulthood. It creates important outcomes for young adults who are leaving care or are at-risk of homelessness, such as an increased ability to live independently, improved mental wellbeing, increased social support and better coping and resilience skills. These have potential to change the course of young people’s lives, by setting them up to progress to independent living, education and employment, and avoid negative experiences, such as homelessness, addiction or unemployment. DIAL House significantly benefits young people who are transitioning from care to living on their own, especially individuals with complex, intersecting needs including poor mental health, substance misuse, learning difficulties or lack of practical support in their lives.[2]

Interactions with Young People should be rooted in Trauma Informed Practice:

Young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness have often experienced considerable trauma and multiple Adverse Childhood Experiences. All services supporting young people should be rooted in Trauma Informed Practice (TIP), developing safe and nurturing relationships between young people and staff and ensuring sustained engagement in services. The six principals of Trauma Informed Practice – safety, trustworthiness, peer support, collaboration, empowerment and consideration of history and culture – help to create better services for young people. Committing to train staff in TIP ensures that staff can recognise trauma induced behaviours, are equipped to deescalate such behaviours and are much less likely to unintentionally re-traumatise a young person engaged in their service. This creates opportunities for sustained engagement and better outcomes for young people experiencing homelessness.

NOVAS Christmas Sleep-Out – FAQs

When and where is the Christmas Sleep-Out 2021?

Friday 17th of December in Limerick, Ennis, Tralee and Thurles.

What time does it start and end?

The event starts at 7pm and ends at 7am the next morning

How do I get involved?

You can take part by sleeping out on December 17th and raising sponsorship – we will provide you with a sponsorship card. Contact us at sleepout@novas.ie and we will post a card or two out to you.

I don’t want to raise sponsorship, can I still get involved?

If your community group would like to take part as a group and collect on the night, please contact us to arrange this. You can also send donations via our website (https://www.novas.ie/donate/)

Do I need to stay all night?

Ideally we would like as many people as possible to complete the 12 hours, however we understand that not everyone will be able to do this.

Can I bring my children?

All under 18’s must be accompanied to a maximum of two children per adult. Under 14’s must be off the street by 10pm and under 18’s off the street by midnight.

Do I need to bring a sleeping bag and other camping gear?

Yes. We will not be providing camping equipment. Please feel free to bring blankets, sleeping bags, mats, cardboard etc. One or two small tents always creates a strong visual impact.

Should I bring food?

There is no need. We will have refreshments on the night, including teas, coffee, soup, sandwiches, goodies and other finger food. Let us know if you have special dietary requirements.

Is there a collection on the night?

Yes, we will be holding a bucket collection on the night. All participants will be provided with a permit and collection materials. We will have t-shirts also.

We are looking for as many people as possible to take part in the NOVAS Sleep-Out this year to help raise much needed funds to support homeless services throughout the region this Christmas. This year, we have Sleep-Out events in Limerick, Ennis Tralee and Thurles.

If you are interested in sleeping out with us on December 17th, email sleepout@novas.ie

Participants will receive a sponsorship card. Donate online at www.novas.ie/donate

What to Expect at the NOVAS Christmas Sleep-Out

Planning on joining the NOVAS Christmas Sleep-Out and wondering what to expect? Here’s a taster of the evening.

Music/Carols

Music and carols are always a welcome part of the evening and ensures a strong impact.  

Tea and Snacks

We will have tea, coffee, soup, sandwiches, goodies and other finger food available on the night. Refreshments will be provided by our generous supporters and local businesses.

Donation collecting

A large portion of the evening will involve our bucket collection. All participants will be provided with a permit and collection materials. We will also have a number of t-shirts for participants to wear on the night.

Community Atmosphere

With our large team of volunteers and participants, there is a strong community atmosphere on the streets during the evening, as everyone joins together to support the cause and collect donations from festive party goers in town.

We are looking for as many people as possible to take part in the NOVAS Sleep-Out this year to help raise much needed funds to support homeless services throughout the region this Christmas. This year, we have Sleep-Out events in Limerick, Ennis, Tralee and Thurles.

If you are interested in sleeping out with us on December 17th, email sleepout@novas.ie

Participants will receive a sponsorship card. Donate online at www.novas.ie/donate

NOVAS’ Christmas Toy Appeal

Every year NOVAS’ Christmas Toy Appeal supports more than 1,000 children, to help ensure they wake up happy on Christmas morning. This year, we anticipate that more families than ever will need our support and we need your help to make this possible! If you are in a position to participate, read on to see how you can get involved:

There are many ways you can get involved in the toy appeal:

  1. A donation can be made here: https://www.novas.ie/donate/. Chose ‘Christmas Toy Appeal’ on the drop down menu. The money donated will be used by our staff to buy the toys that are needed.
  2. Alternatively, if you do not wish to donate money, we would be thrilled to accept vouchers. If these are purchased online, they can be emailed to toyappeal@novas.ie and again our staff will use these to buy appropriate gifts for the children and teenagers we work with.
  3. However, if you enjoy the shopping experience, we would be very grateful to accept gifts. We will provide the details of a child to buy for (age and gender). These can be dropped (unwrapped) to our Intensive Family Support Office on 1 Mungret Street, Limerick. Email toyappeal@novas.ie to get the details of a child you can buy for. We would love if gifts could be dropped on the week of Monday 6th of December so we have enough time to ensure they get to the homes that need them most, however we would be delighted to accept presents until the 23rd of December.

So if you, your work colleagues or your family members would like to give back this Christmas, please consider participating in our toy appeal.

Thanks everyone and please spread the word!

NOVAS launches 2020 Annual Report

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic and the extraordinary pressures it placed on homeless services during 2020, NOVAS worked with more people than ever before. Some 5,701 people were in receipt of support during the year, an 8% increase from the previous 12-month period and a rise of 493% since 2010.

The biggest demand for support was across the organisation’s tenancy sustainment and family support services. With schools and childcare facilities closed, low-income families were unable to access supports such as breakfast and afterschool clubs. Food poverty was a bigger issue than ever before for such households and demand for food parcels, hot meal deliveries and basic toiletry and childcare items rose sharply.

For the third successive year, the organisation provided support to more than 1,000 children across counties Limerick, Clare, Cork, Kerry, Tipperary and Dublin. Some 1,136 children in 445 families across the country were in receipt of support throughout the year.

Head of Policy and Communications with the organisation, Dr. Una Burns, described 2020 ‘as a year like no other.’ She explained how ‘so many of practices had to be reconfigured to meet new infection control measures. It was an extremely difficult time for the people who access our services and for our staff working on the frontline. We were very fortunate to be in a position to maintain service delivery throughout the crisis and keep levels of infection across our services very low. However, the period was extraordinarily difficult for our clients whose social isolation and marginalization was compounded by service closures. Their already limited support networks were diminished further and human connection was minimized’.

Despite the challenges posed throughout the year, the organisation continued to provide accommodation to those who needed it the most. In response to the crisis, NOVAS opened a cocooning service in Dublin and extended its night shelter in Limerick to provide 24/7 care and support to clients, in conjunction with its statutory partners.

Mayor of Limerick, Daniel Butler, who officially launched the report, ‘commended the work of the organisation during the period, noting the excellent collaboration between the organisation, the city council and the HSE in keeping some of the most vulnerable people in our community safe during unprecedented times’.

Tenant Newsletter – September 2021

Welcome to the first edition of our Tenant Newsletter. This is our first of many tenant newsletters, designed to engage with our tenants and keep them up-to-date with developments relating to NOVAS Homes.

In this edition, you will learn about our new furniture campaign #FromOurHomeToYours, where tenants can access good quality used furniture if they need it. We are also hosting a furniture upcycling class later this month, which is free for our clients.

For these stories and more, read our newsletter here.

NOVAS broadly welcomes the Housing For All plan

NOVAS broadly welcomes the new Housing For All plan and its commitment to ending homelessness by 2030. Through the delivery of more social and affordable homes, increased delivery of housing generally and a commitment to extending the Housing First Programme nationally, the plan seeks to eradicate homelessness by the end of the decade.

Specific commitments to build more than 300,000 homes by 2030, with particular targets for social and affordable housing as well as cost rental, are essential. If the commitment to deliver 90,000 social homes by 2030 is achieved, it will have a seismic impact on reducing our over-reliance on the private sector to solve the social housing crisis and will provide security of tenure on an unprecedented scale for thousands of low-income households.

NOVAS’ Head of Policy and Communications, Una Burns notes that ‘the scale of social housing is very welcome, particularly relating to one-bed units. Single people spend the longest time homeless because of the lack of small units of move-on accommodation. Increasing this stock is essential in reducing long-term homelessness and an over-reliance on emergency and temporary accommodation. It is absolutely essential that such targets are met. NOVAS look forward to working with government to play its part in achieving the ambitions set out in the plan.’

NOVAS warmly supports the commitment to an inter-departmental and cross-government approach to supporting homeless people, both through the extension of Housing First and also through specific commitments to provide targeted health interventions for people who are homeless with specific consideration to their complex needs.

The plan is ambitious and the targets are high. Examining our annual house building output in recent years, points to the challenges faced by government. The targets must be met. We must move away from a reliance on private rented accommodation to meet social housing demands. We must prevent homelessness and provide security and safety for our vulnerable groups in society.

Volunteer Recruitment

We need your help!!! We are seeking volunteers to support our work in Limerick and Dublin.

Limerick Roles:

  • Street Outreach volunteers and drivers
  • Foodcloud drivers
  • Furniture collection drivers for our #FromOurHomeToYours campaign.

Dublin roles:

  • Furniture collection drivers for our #FromOurHomeToYours campaign.

A Volunteer Application Form can be found here.

For driving roles, volunteers must be over 25 years of age and have a clean drivng licence.

For further information email tracey.mccarthy@novas.ie We’re looking forward to hearing from you!

Event Management Students, IT Tralee, Sleep-In for Novas

BA Event Management Year 1 students from IT Tralee are participating in NOVAS’ Sleep-In this Christmas.

The students normally engage in a large variety of volunteering at festival and events throughout the year, as part of their course. However, due to Covid restrictions the students have decided to create their own socially distanced event this year, around the NOVAS Christmas Sleep-In Fundraiser. We are thrilled to have them on board!

The students are going to sleep out at home, in back gardens and living rooms all across the country, while raising money for this great cause over Christmas. Speaking about the sleep in Year 1 Event Management class rep. Elaine Doolan said,

“We are all really looking forward to participating in the NOVAS Christmas Sleep-In event this year, as we believe this a very worthwhile and most needed event to highlight homelessness issues and to fundraise for the homeless community. We appreciate the opportunity that NOVAS has afforded us partake in their Christmas Sleep-In, to help raise vital funds to help people without a permanent roof over their heads. As we are in the middle of a global pandemic and there are not a lot of events out there to volunteer at right now, we decided to create our own Covid compliant event.’

You can follow the students adventures on Instagram using the hashtag #eventmanagementittralee and donate on their I-donate page: https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/11394455_event-management—it-tralee–christmas-sleep-out-for-novas-.html

AMSC Match funding for NOVAS’ 2020 Sleep-In

We are thrilled that Mid-West company AMCS have joined our 2020 Sleep-In. This year the company have developed a Match Campaign for our Sleep-In, so every donation or registration that is made to NOVAS’ Sleep-In this year will be matched by AMCS!! Every €15 registration fee becomes €30 and every donation will also be doubled. We are so grateful for this hugely generous commitment, that helps to make your donation to NOVAS go even further.

Noreen Cantillon, Head of HR with AMCS commenting on the collaboration with NOVAS noted that ‘AMCS is committed to supporting our community, and this is especially important at this time of the year. We recognise that during 2020, in particular, charities who support the most vulnerable in society have been particularly stretched.  We are delighted to partner with NOVAS this Christmas, Novas, like AMCS, has its roots in Limerick. This partnership is inspired by the generosity of our employees, who donate to AMCS charity initiatives throughout the year. AMCS will match employees’ donations to the NOVAS Christmas Toy Appeal and, in addition our entire Christmas Party spend will be donated to the ‘sleep-in’ initiative. We are encouraging our employees to take part in NOVAS charity drives and we have no doubt that the team here and their families will come up with some innovative ways of joining the ‘sleep-in’ initiative on December 18th.’

We would like to take this opportunity to extend a warmest thanks to management and staff of AMCS for their generosity to NOVAS this Christmas.

And remember if you donate to NOVAS’ Sleep-In this year, your donation will be doubled!

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