Housing first

Housing First is a key government policy to reduce homelessness, especially for the most vulnerable people. It focuses on giving people a permanent home first without requiring them to deal with addiction or mental health issues before getting housing.

Housing First supports people who have been homeless for a long time, use homeless services often, or sleep rough. These individuals often have complex needs such as mental or physical health problems, addiction, or both (dual diagnosis).

The programme is a joint effort between:

• Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
• Department of Health
• Health Service Executive (HSE)
• Probation Service and Irish Prison Service
• Local Authorities
• Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs)

• Permanent, affordable housing
• Mobile support services for mental health, healthcare, and addiction
• A recovery-focused approach that respects the person’s choices

The idea is simple: give someone a stable home first. Once they are housed, they can get help with other issues like addiction or mental health. There are no conditions to get housing support comes after.

The Housing First National Office, part of The Housing Agency, manages the programme. It:

• Supports local and regional delivery
• Tracks progress and performance
• Reviews how the programme is being implemented

The Government plans to expand Housing First. A second National Implementation Plan was released in December 2021, with a goal of creating 1,319 new tenancies between 2022 and 2026. By the end of Q3 2025, 1,037 people were already in Housing First homes.

The next goal is to create 2,000 tenancies. A new plan will set specific targets for each local authority.