Home is where
the heart is.
It’s also where
the best start is.
How your support
gives young people
in homelessness a
place to live and after
that, the strongest
supports to turn their
lives around.
Challenging homelessness. Changing lives.
Solving youth homelessness –
a model proven to work
How can you begin to turn
your life around if you
have nowhere to live?
At Focus Ireland we are
introducing a proven
model to combat
homelessness called
Housing First for Youth.
It’s a truly groundbreaking
approach that has shown
remarkable success in
North America and in
Europe.
Through this tested
model, we’re turning the
way youth homelessness
is solved right on its
head by doing something
deceptively simple – we
first provide a secure
home as a priority – and
then we follow up with
any other vital supports
that are needed.
We’ve already piloted it in
Limerick and elsewhere
to great success. Now we
are asking for your help to
spread it across Ireland.
It’s easier to find
employment
when you have a
place to live
Hundreds of our young
people are trapped in a
cycle of homelessness
right now. Help us get
them safely off the streets
or out of emergency
accommodation so they
can start to address
any other problems
that may have caused
homelessness in the first
place.
When you look at a job
application, often the very
first thing it asks for is
your address.
Employers also like to be
able to email or call job
applicants – but how can
you be reachable if you
have no phone. Or even if
you do have one, you’ve
nowhere to charge it.
With your support, Focus
Ireland wants to give more
young people an address
to write on an application
form. A place to get a
good night’s sleep before
the interview. Somewhere
to take a hot shower and
put on clean clothes.
With a home, a young
person can enter the jobs
market and start to build a
better life.
It’s easier to
leave an abusive
relationship
when you have a
place to live
It’s easier to
restore your
health when you
have a place to
live.
Being homeless can force
a person into desperate
and damaging situations.
Life on the streets can be Focus Ireland is looking
hard on your health – both to break that pattern by
moving young people
mental and physical.
off the streets, and into
secure housing.
Many young people
who become homeless
In their own place, young
may have already
men and women can get
suffered some form of
help, heal from past hurts,
psychological, physical
grow strong and face their
or sexual trauma or
addiction.
future.
At Focus Ireland we
speak with many young
people who have found
themselves in unhealthy,
controlling or abusive
relationships.
A home can change
all that. It brings
independence and a sense
of confidence and strong
boundaries. The security
that comes from having a
key, choosing who gets in
and who stays outside.
In a home of their own, a
young person can make
their own choices and
build stable, healthy
relationships.
Far too many people
cannot get the help they
need, with results that
can be tragic. The average
age of death of someone
sleeping rough is 42 years.
The difference you could make
Here are some actual quotes from
young people who have moved from
homelessness to their own homes.
As you can see, this work is lifechanging. And it is only possible
with the kind support of people
like you.
‘It was amazing, we sat in silence for
an hour, I couldn’t believe we could
make our own dinner in our own
place’
‘You learn how to budget. This is
very important. You get help with
whatever you want to do and you
go home to a roof over you and you
can make your dinner. The best thing
is that you can say you are going
home.’
‘Perfect, like heaven. Warm, off
the roads, out of trouble. I have
electricity, a roof over my head.
It’s everything.’
There are hundreds of young
people across Ireland today
who could feel this same
transformation, with your help.
Please send a donation to
Focus Ireland today.
‘"I’ve gotten mature
since I’ve had my own
place. It has helped me
to grow. I’ve realised
that you can’t live in the
past; you have to move
beyond it."
- Anna, 23
"I get less anxious about
what is around the corner.
I focus on everyday things
like showers or cooking,
instead of worrying about
when I will next eat or
shower"
- Emma, 20
The journey out of homelessness
At Focus Ireland, we believe that
housing is a basic human right. But we
don’t just want to get young people into
homes, we want to make sure they stay
off the streets. We want to help them
turn their lives around.
So we take a person-centred approach,
working with each individual to ensure
they get the support they need to thrive.
The help we give starts with a home,
but it doesn’t end there.
Here are the three key steps to our
work. With your donation, you are
helping more young people take this
journey to a better life:
STEP 1 A safe and secure home
We provide simple but secure housing to individuals and families
who have fallen homeless – giving struggling people a stable base
to rebuild their lives.
STEP 2 Supports and service
We provide expert support to ensure people can manage their
finances and access medical and social services. We also provide a
personal one-to-one key worker to help people cope with the root
causes and the consequences of homelessness – and develop a
way out of homelessness and into a secure and warm home.
STEP 3 A plan for the future
We offer continuous advice, emotional support, education and
training to help people fully and effectively rebuild their lives.
Will you take one simple
step today?
Make a life changing gift.
Complete the donation form
and send it to Focus Ireland.
Thank you.
Why your support is vital
There were 7,167 people without
homes across Ireland during the
month of January this year. This
includes many young people
and families with children. And
sadly, these numbers are rising.
Here is how your
donation can help
someone without a
home turn their life
around:
Focus Ireland is doing all we can
to get more people into supported
housing – that crucial first step
towards safety and stability.
€74
can provide
Supported Housing for
one person for a week,
including a safe and
secure home, expert
advice, a one-to-one
key worker, medical
support, education and
a hot meal.
€148
can provide
one person with our
complete housing
support – for
a fortnight.
€296
can
provide a secure
home and complete
support for a month.
€695
can help
refurbish a home
before a young person
who needs it moves in
(this includes painting,
furniture and bedding).
Every Euro you can give today
will make a huge difference.
Please give what you can.