Evaluations
Focus Ireland is committed to regular evaluations of its work and services. Evaluations help us to assess the quality and effectiveness of our work. The services we provide have continually been adapted to suit the changing needs of our customers and to provide the best possible services.
An Evaluation of the Focus Ireland Women’s Outlook Programme
This report documents the findings from an evaluation of the Women’s Outlook programme. Key components of the programme include a personalised, gender-informed case management approach, access to education and employment opportunities for participants, and facilitation of family re-engagement. The main objective of the evaluation was to examine and evaluate the housing and support services provided for people leaving prison, emphasising family-centred approaches. It also aimed to capture and document the Outlook programme process from committal to post-release support and assess the impact of the programme for all stakeholders.
Growing Old at Home report
A key part of Focus Ireland’s work is providing long-term, affordable homes to customers. This research project set out to explore the attitudes and needs of Focus Housing Association’s mid-to-later life tenants. The area of providing suitable housing and supports for tenants as they age had been identified as a concern in the organisation for some time but had not yet been fully explored. The Focus Ireland research team conducted a short telephone survey with 76 long-term housing tenants. In understanding the needs of tenants as they age this research hopes to inform Focus Ireland’s provision of appropriate support to their tenants and assess existing and future housing stock.
Evaluation of Focus Ireland Shielding Service
The collaborative response to the pandemic across the homeless sector in Dublin has emerged as a positive case study and was seen to not only avoid widespread community transmission and save lives but also delivered supports to service users where they were living via inter-agency coordination. The following report documents and reflects on the learnings from the Focus Ireland Shielding Service in Dublin city during the pandemic.
An Evaluation of the Focus Ireland PETE Programme Dublin
This evaluation seeks to assess the implementation, service provision and impact of the PETE programme in Dublin as it transitioned to online service provision in 2021. It covers a wide range of issues, such as labour market exclusion, digital exclusion, the impact of Covid-19 on the PETE programme in Dublin and how the pivot to online supports was negotiated by staff and customers. It also includes consultation with PETE staff, as well as former and current PETE customers in the form of a survey and four case studies.
Customer Satisfaction Survey 2020/21
This report marks the completion of Phase 3 of our monitoring and evaluation program which explored levels of satisfaction amongst customers across a wide range of services, and most of the regions that we work in. This report follows on from Phases 1 and 2 which examined levels of tenancy sustainment and levels of satisfaction amongst our long-term housing customers respectively. We undertook this evaluation to understand our customers’ experiences, find out what we were doing well as an organisation, and the areas and services that we needed to improve.
Housing Rights & Homelessness: lessons from a pro bono partnership
This report details an innovative housing law clinic operated from the Focus Ireland service in Temple Bar. The housing law clinic is a partnership between Focus Ireland, A&L Goodbody, and Mercy Law Resource Centre which was supported and facilitated by the Public Interest Law Alliance. It consists of legal advice given at weekly clinics and follow up legal representation.
An Evaluation of the North Tipperary Intensive Tenancy Sustainment Service
This report provides an evaluation of the North Tipperary Intensive Tenancy Support Service, which was a key element of the Mid West Service Improvement Programme (2018–2020).
Limerick Youth Housing Project Evaluation
The innovative housing project is a collaboration between Focus Ireland, Tusla and Limerick City and Council, with the aim of providing homes for vulnerable young people along with vital support to help them sustain their tenancies as they make the transition into adulthood. The independent evaluation was carried out by Eilis Lawlor & Niamh Bowen from the UK based 'Just Economics.'
Results of Pilot Project to prevent family homelessness in Dublin 15
In June 2016, Focus Ireland launched a targeted pilot prevention project in Dublin 15. The campaign aimed to identify the most effective way to reach at-risk families and the appropriate interventions needed to prevent them becoming homeless. The pilot was designed to track outcomes so that key lessons could be shared.
Financial Savings Review of ‘My Home My Choice’ Project
Focus Ireland’s ‘My Home, My Choice’ project – a project funded by Genio – was established in 2012. It supports individuals with a diagnosed mental health diagnosis and who are recognised as having a housing need by their local authority. Focus Ireland commissioned independent research consultancy Quality Matters to conduct a financial savings review of ‘My Home, My Choice’ project.
Support to Live Independently (SLÍ) Evaluation
The Support to Live Independently (SLÍ) initiative is a visiting support service to those with low or moderate needs who have secured independent accommodation after leaving homeless services. The aims of the scheme are to support homeless people to move on from homelessness to living independently, and to assist with reintegration into the local community.
Service Evaluation of Focus Ireland Long-Term Supported Housing
This service evaluation of Focus Ireland's Long-Term Supported Housing was conducted by the Centre for Housing Policy, University of York. The scope of the evaluation focuses on tenants residing in all congregate and clustered long-term supported housing run by Focus Ireland.
Focus Ireland Advice and Information Evaluation
This evaluation of Focus Ireland's Advice and Information services sought to capture the activities, process and outcomes of the services. It is believed that the provision of information, advice and personal advocacy has a key role to play in preventing and resolving homelessness. This study seeks to evaluate the operational workings and effectiveness of Focus Ireland's advice and information services across the country.
Evaluation of Focus Ireland’s Therapeutic Service
Focus Ireland’s therapeutic service provides psychotherapeutic intervention, clinical assessment, behaviour modification and psycho-education to Focus Ireland customers. This was set up with a view of establishing a Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) to support customers. This mixed-methods evaluation conducted by Dr Mark Ward (Trinity College Dublin) incorporated the views of all stakeholders of the service, including importantly, Focus Ireland customers themselves.
Prison In-reach Evaluation Cork
In 2008, the Prison In-Reach services were set up in Cork and Limerick Prison with funding secured by the IPS from the Dormant Accounts Funds and Pobal. This report provides an evaluation of the Cork Prison In-Reach Project. The evaluation covers the pilot period of the service, from July 2009 to July 2011.
Feasibility Study on a Social Rentals Initiative in Dublin
The aim of this study is to examine the feasibility of establishing an Social Rental Agencies (SRA) in Dublin that rent properties from the private rented sector and sub-let them to vulnerable and marginalised households with support needs. Another important objective of the study is to examine the impact, outputs and outcomes of the Cork Rentals and Housing Support Partnership for the households and four organisations participating in this initiative.
An Evaluation of the LEAP Programme
This was a one-year Focus Ireland programme funded by the Labour Market Activation Fund. The aim of LEAP was to meet the learning needs of 45 low-skilled and long-term unemployed individuals in the Dublin area, who were previously homeless or at risk of homelessness, and who were deemed ready to progress to training and employment, in order to provide them with the skills required...
Evaluation of the Spokes Programme
An evaluation of Focus Ireland's Spokes programme, which was an education, training and employment service provided from 2002-2009 to people who were homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Waterford Community Preventative Service Pilot Evaluation Report
This report presents the findings of an evaluation of the Waterford Community Preventative Service (CPS) Pilot programme. The report outlines the service itself, identifies stakeholders’ views on effectiveness, highlights the strengths of the programme and areas of potential improvement, and makes recommendations on the future direction of the service.