Opening Doors for Homeless People
Peter McVerry Trust
was established in 1983 by Fr Peter McVerry to tackle homelessness, drug misuse and social disadvantage. Since then, we have supported thousands of vulnerable young people on the margins of Irish society and in 2015 Peter McVerry Trust worked with 4,705 individuals across its services. The charity offers pathways out of homelessness based on the principles of the Housing First model and within a framework that is based on equal opportunities, dignity and respect. In order to achieve our goals, we provide a range of services primarily to younger people with complex needs.
We aim to: •
Prevent people from experiencing homelessness;
•
Provide safe, stable and supportive environments where people who are homeless are treated with warmth and respect;
•
Rapidly re-house people who experience homelessness based on the principles of a Housing First approach;
•
Support people on the margins of society, assisting them to integrate into society and live a life of dignity.
Overview of Peter McVerry Trust in 2015
4,705 Unique individuals supported across Peter McVerry Trust’s services in 2015
4,221 Residential placements provided by Peter McVerry Trust during 2015
Who we work with
72%
60%
of those we work with require support in relation to family
required support with respect to mental health
81% of those we work with require support with drug use
How we help
171
number of People we helped exit homelessness in 2015
EXIT
1,461
people supported via our prevention services
149,000
meals provided across the services during the year
Our Services
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Prevention Services
•
Housing First Services
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Housing Services
•
Homeless Services
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Drug Treatment Services
•
Under 18s Residential Services
Prevention Services We place a strong emphasis on education as a preventative measure, and have advocated for increased investment in education and additional supports for students from disadvantaged areas. Peter McVerry Trust also provides targeted educational supports to young people in high risk communities to assist them achieve their full potential. Our prevention work also includes three day services; the Open Access Service, the Streets to Home Support Service and an information and advice centre. These services provide practical supports as well as advice on a range of issues.
Housing First Services Peter McVerry Trust is committed to delivering a Housing First approach in Ireland. The Housing First approach has at its core, the principle that the first thing a person needs is a home. It focuses on providing long term housing for homeless individuals first and then, once stable, provide them with all other necessary supports. In addition to our stand alone services, Peter McVerry Trust delivers the Housing First project in conjunction with Focus Ireland on behalf of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive.
Our Services (contd)
Housing Services Peter McVerry Trust became an approved housing body in June 1991. As of January 2016, PMVT was managing just over 140 residential units. Our aim is to achieve approved housing body status (over 300 residential units) to increase the capacity of our housing services to provide long term housing for people exiting homelessness. Our housing services also includes teams dedicated to assisting people secure accommodation and helping those who have progressed to independent living to maintain tenancies and integrate into their local community.
Homeless Services Our homeless services provide supported temporary accommodation (STA), temporary accommodation (TA) and temporary emergency accommodation (TEA) across a number of small to medium sized units. Our homeless services also provide additional capacity to the homeless sector during the period November to March each year when the cold weather strategy is active.
Drug Treatment Services Peter McVerry Trust’s drug treatment services include a Stabilisation and Recovery Service, and a Residential Community Detox Service, which is located in a rural setting and has a national remit. The drug treatment programmes available through these services include: drug stabilisation, relapse prevention, cannabis cessation and methadone detox. PMVT also provides drug free aftercare accommodation.
U18s Residential Services Peter McVerry Trust currently provides Under 18s Residential Services for children between the ages of 12-18 across four locations in the Dublin area. Each service operates under license from the child and family agency, TUSLA. In order to ensure appropriate supports for young adults exiting under 18s services our staff provide ongoing aftercare and support to young people making the transition from children’s residential services to semi-independent and independent living.
Additional Information Peter McVerry Trust engages with a wide range of stakeholders and is committed to an inter agency model of working. The organisations we work closely with include: • Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government • Department of Children and Youth Affairs • Department of Social Protection • Dublin Region Homeless Executive • Local Authorities • HSE • ICSH • Irish Prison Service • The Probation Service • TUSLA (Child and Family Agency). We also work with a number of regional drug task forces and community based organisations. Peter McVerry Trust is a member of the Dublin Homeless Network which is an active group of 16 voluntary agencies providing homeless services in the region. Peter McVerry Trust is also a member of FEANTSA, the European Federation of National Organisations working with the Homeless.
Further Information
For all the latest information and news about Peter McVerry Trust, please visit our website.
www.pmvtrust.ie 29 Mountjoy Square, Dublin 1, D01 C2N4. T: +353 (0)1 823 0776 E: info@pmvtrust.ie CRN: 20015282 CHY 7256 CLG 98934