Ms Barbara O'Connell:

I will give the Deputy an example of the model that Acquired Brain Injury Ireland have in partnership with the Anvers Housing Association. This is where people have moved from hospital to an assisted living setting of four people, where they have individualised rehabilitation plans. None of the four do the same thing every day, they do whatever it is they need to do. As their level of independence increases, they then move into another house which is either shared with another person or on their own. We have managed to put in a transitionary pathway if a person is not able to live on one’s own, which could be for social reasons and may not necessarily be because that the person cannot physically live on his or her own. The person may be aphasic or may be highly vulnerable on his or her own. The whole idea would be that one could learn, strategise and develop resources in order that one could then move in.

That is an example with models we could use. We do not need to reinvent the wheel, when one has organisations like Clúid Housing. We have pockets where we can see this succeed and the idea is to try to share this across the Departments, to say this is where it works and that here is an example of how we can get people like the manager, who has talked about having a transitionary, intermediate place where he could go and learn to be more independent and can then move on to a place he can be more independent. That is a model we have in place with the housing association.

Speaking on behalf of that housing association, we find that when we are going for money to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, the priority is for families. The committee can see the competing elements. Unfortunately, people with disabilities fall to the bottom. That is our experience and we are having to re-advocate. I know that Anvers Housing Association is one of the housing associations which is responding, in that it is offering housing with support options so that when it builds the house, it comes with acquired brain injury specialist support. One is, therefore, getting both together which is quite unique. Sometimes one gets the building, with no support. That is an example of a model which could be rolled out and increased.