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My Home project – service users find forever homes
HOUSING MATTERS FOR MENTAL H EALTH
INNOVATIVE PROJECT SHOWS CLEAR RESULTS
At the ‘My Home Project’ launch were (left to right): Valerie Quinn, Galway Simon; Patricia “It is wonderful to be part Cassidy, Roscommon County Council; Angela of a project that transforms Thomson, HSE Mental Health Services; Ciaran Lynch HSE Mental Health Services; Gerry people’s lives in this way – Bosquette, Service User; Charlie Meehan, to witness the joy and pride Head of Mental Health Services, Community people have in having their Healthcare West; Lorraine Kelly, HSE Mental Health Services; Olga Kenny, Galway Simon; own home.” Mary Logue, Service User; Andrea Fitzgerald, Galway Simon Service Manager
Karen Feeney, Head of Client Services, Galway Simon Community, was speaking at the launch of the Evaluation Report of the ‘My Home Project’ - a Sláintecare Integration Funded partnership project between Mental Health Services, HSE Community Healthcare West and Galway Simon Community, working closely with Galway and Roscommon County Councils. The ‘My Home Project’ is a housing-focused service that works in close partnership with Galway Simon and County Councils. The ‘My Home Project’ works with individuals that are expressing a desire to move on to independent living.
“The results of the evaluation of the ‘My Home Project’ indicate that the provision of on-going mental health support, social care support and appropriate housing enables persons with mental health conditions to live independent lives in their communities in line with National Policy guidelines and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities,” explained Ann O’Kelly, researcher and report author.
WHAT IS THE ‘MY HOME PROJECT’?
The project uses an integrated approach between services, with the housing and support needs and preferences of each individual person at its centre. The ‘My Home Project’ is a HSE Mental Health Service-led, housing-focused service that works in close partnership with Galway Simon and County Councils. It works with individuals that are expressing a desire to move on to independent living. Referrals are taken directly from Mental Health Teams, who continue to provide ongoing support to the individuals in the community in their new tenancies. The project provides the person with a Mental Health Housing Support Worker to provide pre and post ‘move in’ support when they have been allocated a tenancy. It commenced in East County Galway and County Roscommon in January 2020, working closely with the county councils. The project lead is a Senior Mental Health Social Worker, employed as a Housing Coordinator for Mental Health, who works in partnership with a Galway Simon Service Manager. The project has supported 30 individuals, aged from 28 to 74 years, and the direct transition of 17 service users who had lived from four to 40 years in mental health residences to their own tenancies with the council or an AHB. Six mental health service users transitioned to secure tenancies from either living with their parents or from insecure to secure tenancies; and one service user living transitioned from a nursing home to a secure tenancy. One service user returned to their own home from hostel, three service users were supported in existing tenancies that were at risk, and one was supported to transition from hospital to council housing.
EARLY STAGES
Appropriate resources at an early stage have positive outcomes
The evaluation demonstrates that providing social care support in addition to mental health support to persons moving from HSE mental health residences to independent living settling into a tenancy. Support can include helping the person with setting up home, independent living skills and discovering community activities they might like to get involved in.
Lorraine Kelly, Housing Coordinator in Mental Health, Community Healthcare West and My Home Project Lead, highlighted the benefits of the project.
“When health, social care and housing services work together in genuine partnership, with the quality of life of the individual accessing the service as our focus, we can better support people with mental health needs on their recovery journey. The Sláintecare ‘My Home Project’ helps people move from shared congregated residential services when they chose to live independently,” she said.
Charlie Meehan, Head of Mental Health Services, Community Healthcare West, said, “The partnership working between services in this project is something we want to replicate across Community Healthcare West.”
Both Roscommon County Council and Galway County Council said they were delighted to be part of the project.
“Galway County Council has had a great engagement with the ‘My Home Project’. The support and understanding needed to ensure tenants are placed in the appropriate own
Flexible approaches are the ‘missing pieces’ of the jigsaw
Social care floating support provided by Galway Simon Community working in partnership with HSE Mental Health teams and working closely with County Councils as housing providers were identified in East Galway and Roscommon as the ‘missing pieces’ of the jigsaw to support individuals living in mental health residences to progress to independent living. “The tenancy support worker helped me. I am on top of it all now. It takes a bit of getting used to managing all those things you had not done in 20 years.” “Before I moved into this house I did not know where anything was in the shop or how to get a trolley out, put money in the trolley and take it out I had never done that before. My MHHSW showed me how to do all that and where everything is in the shop.” “In time I should be able to manage on my own but at present, my tenancy support worker is very welcome. When I get the house sorted out and the finances as well, I think not so much support needed then - people would need support for a year or so.”
door accommodation has been superb and as a Council, we have gained a new cohort of welcome and enthusiastic tenants,” said Liam Hanrahan, Director of Services, Housing, Economy/Rural & Community Development, Galway County Council.
“Roscommon County Council is delighted to have played its part along with all the other stakeholders in ensuring the success of this element of the project,” said Martin Lydon, Director of Housing in Roscommon County Council.
The project has to date supported 30 individuals, ranging in age from 28 to 74 years, including the direct transition of 17 individuals who had lived from 4 to 40 years in mental health residences to their own tenancies with the council or an AHB.
“I wanted to be independent, have a cup of tea whenever I wanted. The hostel living was kind of like a hospital setup certain jobs during the day and only open certain times and things like that. Plus the fact you had someone looking over your shoulder the whole time. I now have an address other than a health board address - it is my own, which is a huge thing.”
SERVICE USER PARTICIPANT.
“By demonstrating through the ‘My Home Project’ that this person can function quite well independently forces the system to change how it treats and forces a change
in work practice”. MEMBER OF THE SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM
THE ‘MY HOME PROJECT’ RECOMMENDS:
• The ‘My Home Project’ should be continued in East Galway and Roscommon and expanded to Mayo and Galway City. • Sta ng of Rehabilitation and
Recovery Mental Health Teams should be increased to the levels recommended in ‘A Vision for Change’ to provide an assertive outreach model. • Given the risks of institutionalisation,that local authorities consider earlier access to secure tenure housing for people living in HSE residences or hospital, even if they may not have made a timely housing application.
