02 | Disengagement from HF: Lesson learned from the Irish HF model
Tracks
English
| Thursday, November 6, 2025 |
| 10:45 - 11:45 |
Details
This presentation explores client disengagement from Ireland's Housing First programme using a mixed-methods action research design. Findings are drawn from qualitative interviews with 29 participants and a service provider survey of 106 respondents, comprising NGO, housing, and clinical staff, and individuals with lived experience. Disengagement is conceptualised as a spectrum, ranging from intermittent contact to complete withdrawal, influenced by systemic, service, programme, community, and client-level factors. Findings identify systemic pressures, staff turnover, complex client needs (including dual and triple diagnoses), programme drift, and limited wraparound supports as key drivers of disengagement. Community-level challenges such as substance use, ‘gatecrashing’, and social isolation also undermine sustained engagement. Facilitators include ‘staff stickability’, disengagement protocols, re-engagement strategies, pragmatic supports, and cross-sectoral collaboration. Highlighting both systemic barriers and effective responses, the research offers actionable insights for European HF providers seeking to strengthen client engagement, enhance programme fidelity, and improve long-term housing outcomes for highly-complex populations.
Speaker
Lynne Cahill
Senior Researcher
Genio
Disengagement from HF: Lesson learned from the Irish HF model
Biography
Lynne is a senior researcher at Genio specialising in complex systems change within national public sector programs (homelessness, migrant/Traveller health). An Adjunct Assistant Professor at Trinity College Dublin, she lectures on Applied Social Research. Her research focuses on systems change, and public sector reform.
Speakers
Niamh Lally
Director of Action Research
Genio
