Jessica.Galway

Homelessness strategies across Europe have traditionally focused on a housing-led approach. This approach prioritises treatment and addiction recovery. Service users transition through stages of temporary accommodation before permanent housing is made available. In contrast, the ‘Housing First’ model gives service users immediate access to permanent accommodation. Because the ‘Housing First’ model views housing as a human right, engagement with treatment services or sobriety isn’t used as a condition of their tenancy. Following on from a blog post yesterday about the many different forms of homelessness in Northern Ireland, this article looks at what the ‘Housing First’ approach is and how it has been implemented across Europe, with specific focus on its use in Northern Ireland.

Read More »‘Housing First’: An alternative approach to addressing homelessness?