Housing innovation in Ireland: Rob Lowth, The Housing Agency

Innovation in housing in Ireland is taking various forms, from new construction methods to novel funding models and community-focussed initiatives. For the first in this new blog series, we caught up with Rob Lowth, national director for the Housing First programme at The Housing Agency, to find out more about the model.

Can you tell us about yourself and your career in housing to date?

Originally from Drogheda, I have been living in tranquil East Clare over 20 years. My career began in the technology sector, and I had eight years as a quality engineer, software localisation engineer and then moving into project management. Making the move to the public service was both scary and exciting in terms of my aspirations to making greater a difference in society.

My fears didn’t last long. I was able to utilise my people and project skills as homeless coordinator in Limerick City and County Council. From 2003 to 2015, the role in homeless services provided me with a grounding in public service operations and an enormous insight and respect for how the specialist NGO/AHB services provided support on behalf of the state.

More importantly, it provided me with the frontline interaction and experience of homelessness that put me in a position to be able to pursue the correct solutions and supports with strategic partner agencies.

In the Housing First model, what's the key to providing effective wraparound supports for a person with complex needs?

Wraparound supports are the vital difference between a basic tenancy sustainment service and Housing First. To add context, I will use the phrase, “without health there is no Housing First.” Wraparound support can only exist if the correct clinical roles are part of the team. The partnership between health and housing is foundational.

Wraparound support services are specific and additional to Housing First. Their goal is to support the tenant become established and integrated in the community. Because of past trauma, many tenants have never lived alone in their own permanent home. By providing a stabilised environment that allows the tenant to connect with the HSE Primary Care based in that community or engaging other community supports, it provides then with a confidence that society often assumes or takes for granted.

As the tenants journey develops and, in many cases, becomes a recovery journey, the wraparound supports can focus on new tenants with a higher level of complexity.

The key for all services to supporting or being part of a wraparound team is to think ‘collaboration’: no one team or service can solve issues alone and communication by the intensive case managers is the binding agent to a successful tenancy unravelling the complexity one day at a time.

How does a housing officer's role change when working within a Housing First framework?

I would be more inclined to think that the housing officer’s role in both approved housing bodies and local authorities has adapted and increased their skillsets to understand the increased levels of complexity and trauma experienced by both Housing First and regular allocations.

Housing officers possess a level of astuteness in their roles; I believe that a deeper level of understanding and empathy is essential when allocating a Housing First tenancy.

When we discuss what is an effective wraparound support, for me, that includes housing officers as a vital frontline service, as they will hear and see many issues. But more importantly, they have the solutions required to support the tenant successfully.  

What's one success story you can share that demonstrates the transformative power of this model? What made that particular case so impactful?

Every journey for a Housing First tenant is different and unique, and support and care plans are tailored to the needs of each individual tenant.

My chosen example is from a person who through their lived experience has helped us shape the Housing First programme through sharing their experience of it. They spent a long time in an alcoholic household, developed an addiction, became homeless and ended up sleeping rough for long periods of time, where they saw no hope and certainly no opportunity to escape the trap of trauma and addiction they faced.

They had a number Housing First tenancies. Often the first one isn’t the magic key in the door — it may be number two, three, four or five.

After receiving lifesaving care from the HSE, including addiction stabilisation, residential drug treatment and recovery housing, they returned to their third Housing First tenancy. They increased their recovery capital with the support of the Housing First wraparound support team and have since returned to education and started working in services where they are giving back to the community.

Lived experience is an essential part of Housing First, and the peer support roles that being developed in Housing First are strengthening the programme significantly, with improved outcomes.