Housing Association for Integrated Living (HAIL), the specialist mental health housing association, is planning to deliver 300 new homes over the next five years.

The announcement will be made today (16.01.24) at the launch of HAIL’s new strategic plan 2024-2028. The housing association provides housing and support services primarily to people living with significant and enduring mental health difficulties, who are often at risk of homelessness or hospitalisation without support.

Commenting today, HAIL CEO Martina Smith, said: “We are delighted to launch our new strategic plan, which outlines our ambitious growth plans for the next five years. HAIL is playing an important role in addressing housing challenges for people living with mental health difficulties and we are determined to do more.

“By the of end 2028, we want to deliver 300 new homes and expand our support services. We see through our work, just how essential having a stable and secure home is to support people with their mental health recovery. A key priority for us is to acquire more one-bedroom units as this tends to be most suitable form of accommodation for the people we support.

“We are looking forward to working with our partners to meet our targets over the lifetime of this strategic plan. We are actively seeking partnership opportunities with local authorities, estate agents and property developers to provide more homes.”

The housing association currently provides over 470 homes, mainly in the Dublin area and it plans to expand further nationally under its new strategic plan.

Funding support services

HAIL also provides mental health tenancy sustainment services to their own tenants and to people living in private rented accommodation, local authority and social housing who have a mental health diagnosis and are at risk of losing their tenancy.

In 2022, HAIL provided mental health tenancy sustainment services to 589 people, the highest figure recorded by the housing association. During the same year, HAIL recorded a 99% tenancy sustainment rate for its own tenants through these services and a 97% tenancy sustainment rate for those living in non-HAIL accommodation.

HAIL expects demand for its mental health tenancy sustainment services to continue to grow under its new strategic plan. Over the course of HAIL’s previous strategic plan 2020-2023, the housing association expanded its mental health tenancy sustainment services into 16 local authority areas across Ireland. HAIL argues that to sustain this level of growth an increase in funding is needed.

Also commenting, HAIL Head of Services Julie Cruickshank, said: “Every year demand for our mental health tenancy sustainment services increases. In order to meet this growing demand and maintain our current levels of service, a sustainable funding framework is necessary.

“The work we do helps people with significant and enduring mental health difficulties maintain their tenancy and avoid homelessness or hospitalisation, which ultimately saves money for the State.

“We are calling on the Government to increase funding for our mental health tenancy sustainment services by €1 million, to help ensure this vital service is adequately and sustainably funded and that we can grow this service to others that need it.”

HAIL CEO Martina Smith added: “HAIL is proud of the excellent reputation we have developed as an expert provider of housing and support services. We are working collaboratively and effectively with our partners, and we would like to thank them for their support. However, we need to be sufficiently resourced to enable us to grow and support more people.”