Dr. Dermot Kavanagh:

I will be brief regarding rehab to home. It is an idea that is currently in development. We run an addiction support and aftercare service. That has been successful, over the years, in developing a pathway from emergency accommodation into addiction treatment. In the traditional fashion, we provided aftercare housing as a transitional option, with the next step being the resident getting a home of their own. The experience of Housing First has been very successful and there is no greater advocate for it than me. However, it has become one of the only exits from homelessness available to people. It is focused on people who have significant mental health and addiction issues. If you are on Housing First, you have a guarantee of getting the housing support you need. If you enter treatment, it is much more precarious. You might get into an aftercare house and you might get stuck there. A lot of people are stuck in aftercare housing. Following Housing First principles, the idea is to have a similar housing option for people when they leave treatment both to encourage people to take up the treatment and to ensure they do not end up back in homeless emergency services. The idea is to provide the support they need after that, but not to have the housing contingent on sobriety. Those on the scheme should have the same tenancy rights as anybody else. If they have a slip or difficulties in maintaining their sobriety, it will not lead to their eviction. That is it in a nutshell. As I have said, it is an idea in development. We hope to pilot it as soon as we can.