02 | Disengagement from HF: Lesson learned from the Irish HF model
Tracks
English
| Thursday, November 6, 2025 |
| 10:45 - 11:45 |
| Saal 5 / Hall 5 |
Overview
*Presented in English
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.
Co-Speaker
Niamh Lally
Director of Action Research
Genio
