International Snapshot – Dublin Region Homeless Executive

Our Head of Policy and Sector Development Paula O’Leary catches up with Ireland’s homelessness and housing sector leaders.

She met with representatives from Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), Director, Mary Hayes and her team.

DRHE is provided by Dublin City Council as the lead statutory local authority in the response to homelessness in Dublin and adopts a shared service approach across South Dublin County Council, Fingal County Council and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council. The DRHE oversee execution of funding to funded homelessness services in the region.

They are also responsible for:

  • the Pathway Accommodation and Support System (PASS), a real time online system that managing access to accommodation including homeless presentation and bed occupancy across the Dublin region. This includes the placement service for all persons in emergency accommodation and publishing the homeless figures.
  • providing support and services to the Dublin Joint Homelessness Consultative Forum and the Statutory Management Group.
  • provides annual training options for statutory and state funded homeless services. This includes key workers/case managers and frontline staff involved in the assessment and placement of persons experiencing homelessness and service managers responsible for the management of these processes.

Homeless Services Funding

In Ireland, specifically, in terms of statutory funding, resources for homeless services are derived from two sources. Firstly, from Central Government (Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage) to local authorities combined with a contribution (at 10 per cent) of funding directly from each local authorities revenue streams. Secondly, the Health Service Executive (publicly funded healthcare system in Ireland, responsible for the provision of health and personal social services) is a central funder of homeless services provision in addition to its own direct service provision of care and support programs. In addition, fundraising by voluntary sector service providers and donations received by them are expended on services.

Mary Hayes – Director of Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE)

Service Level Agreement

All funded services by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive have a Service Level Agreement in place and the agreed principles are as follows:

  • All services are required to commit to the principles of Care & Case Management and Housing First and to put into practice interagency and collaborative working in partnership with statutory and other voluntary bodies;
  • Services provided will be aligned to the strategic aims and core actions set out in The Homelessness Action Plan Framework for Dublin, 2019–2021 (New action plan to be published this year 2022);
  • Principles of partnership, continuous improvement of service quality, transparency and accountability;
  • Rights of Service Users to Services which promote their dignity and rights to participate as full citizens and;
  • Operational autonomy of each of the parties whilst recognizing statutory obligations and responsibilities on the part of the funder.

Paula also visited The Housing Agency, Peter McVerry Trust, Cork City Council and Dublin Simon Community during her trip.