Focus IrelandHead Office9–12 High StreetChristchurchDublin 8

Tel 01 881 5900LoCall 1850 204 205Fax 01 881 5950Email info@focusireland.iewww.focusireland.ie

In order to protect the identity of

our customers the photographs in

this document are of volunteers.

Registered charity CHY 7220

FOCUS IRELANDANNUAL REPORT 2011SUMMARY

1850 204 205 www.focusireland.ie

About Focus IrelandFocus Ireland is a housing and homelessness charity working to prevent people becoming,remaining or returning to homelessness through the provision of quality services,supported housing, research and advocacy. Founded in 1985 by Sr Stanislaus Kennedy, itworks with single adults, families and young people, believing that everyone has a right toa place they can call home, which is safe, secure, affordable and appropriate to their needs.

Mission · Focus Ireland aims to advance the rights of people out-of-home to live in aplace they call home through quality services, research and advocacy.

Vision · Focus Ireland believes that everyone has the right to a place they can call home.

Focus Ireland worked hard during 2011 to cope with the continuing harsh economic climateand its impact on the increasing number of people at risk of becoming homeless in Ireland.

Chief Executive · Joyce Loughnan

Directors · Sr Stanislaus Kennedy,

Founder and Life President

Gerry Danaher, Chairperson

Helen Kilroy, Vice Chairperson

David Martin · Deirdre Connolly

Mary O’Shea · Paul Carroll, retired Jan 2011

William K Nowlan, retired Mar 2011

Sean Carey, joined May 2011

Paul Finnerty, retired Sept 2011

Declan O’Flaherty, joined Sept 2011

Dr Valerie Richardson, retired Nov 2011

Trustees · Sr Síle Wall · Dr Helen Burke

Tim Bouchier Hayes

Company Secretary · Mark Byrne

We also strived to ensure the continued funding of all ofour vital services for people who are currently homeless.

To achieve this it was imperative to continue ourongoing work to ensure that all costs are tightly controlledso Focus Ireland remains strong and agile enough tooperate efficiently while meeting rising demand.

The success of Focus Ireland’s work in this area washighlighted as our Annual Report 2010 was once againshortlisted by the Chartered Accountant’s Ireland LeinsterSociety for its Published Accounts Awards which rewardorganisations for excellence in financial reporting.

Focus Ireland has developed a comprehensivestrategy – running from 2011 to 2016 – which will guideits work to combat and prevent homelessness in Ireland

In order to meet the requirements of our strategy werequire strong financial management.

The financial outcomes for the organisation for 2011were positive. The following are some highlights:

> A total of 90% of all of our expenditure went ondelivering services to help combat and preventhomelessness.

> Our cost control initiatives once again proved to be amajor factor in 2011; we were able to keep costs at 7%lower than budget, while at the same time increasingthe number of people our services benefitted from6,500 in 2010 a total of nearly 7,500 in 2011.

Focus Ireland’s fundraising income was €5.4 million in2012. This great support (along with grant incomereceived) ensured we were in a good position to continueto refine and develop our services in line with our currentstrategy to place an even greater emphasis on prevention.

This work included opening a new aftercare servicein Waterford and also the further development of ouradvice and information services to help prevent peoplefrom losing their home.

2011 2010Financial Review €m % €m %————————————————————————————————————————————————Mix of incomeGrant income 11.25 61% 11.36 62%Fundraising income 5.49 30% 5.06 28%Rental income 1.22 7% 1.22 7%Other income 0.38 2% 0.50 3%

————— ————— ————— —————18.35 100% 18.14 100%

————— ————— ————— —————Mix of expenditureDirect charitable activity costs 15.71 90% 14.98 91%Governance and support costs 0.30 2% 0.55 3%Fundraising and event costs 1.45 8% 1.01 6%

————— ————— ————— —————17.45 100% 16.54 100%

————— ————— ————— —————Fundraising cost to income ratioFundraising income 5.49 5.06Fundraising costs 1.45 1.01

————— ————— ————— —————4.04 74% 4.05 80%

————— ————— ————— —————

Annual Report 2011 Finance Summary

To review Focus Ireland’s full financial report please go to www.focusireland.ie and view our Annual Report 2011.

The impact of the recession deepened during the year,especially for people who are homeless and thousandsmore at risk of losing their homes.

It is unlikely that there is a household in Ireland thathasn’t, in one way or another, been affected by oureconomic situation. Despite this, our donors have ralliedto support those most in need of help.

We received tremendous support from donors,volunteers, corporates and community groups alike whichhelped us to raise a staggering €5.4 million.

Our fundraising team worked very hard to help raisevital funds, of which 90 cents in every euro is spentdirectly on our services. The support we received wasespecially strong towards the end of the year. Wehighlighted the worrying fact that one in seven peopleusing homeless services is a child.

Focus Ireland is sothankful for the greatsupport we receive to usto continue our vital work.We will rely on thiscontinued support to helpus to support the mostvulnerable in our society.

Sincere thanks to allcompanies, funders,donors and people whotook part in Focus Ireland fundraising events in 2011to help support our vital work to combat and preventhomelessness in Ireland. To find out more aboutFocus Ireland’s work please go to www.focusireland.ieand view our full Annual Report 2011.

90% services

10% non-services

In 2011, we spent 90c ofevery €1 we received onour services for peoplewho are homeless or atrisk of homelessness.

FundraisingLast year we again saw an increase in numbers seeking supportfrom Focus Ireland, as almost 7,500 benefitted from our services.

Pamela Flood teamed up with Focus Ireland tosupport our annual Sponsor a Star Campaign

Jack Baker and Rosie Smallwood from The Architects Team,taking part in the Focus Ireland Four Peaks Challenge

Nearly €100,000 was raised between 18–20 Nov 2011during our Key to a Home campaign

‘When I was homeless I feltreally low. When I signed up forFocus Ireland’s education courseit really gave me a boost.’

John, 24, Dublin

Annual Report 2011 Summary 07/06/2012 15:43 Page 1

Although it is vital to recognise and address thesedifficulties, it is equally important to acknowledge thesuccesses achieved. The flexibility and commitment ofour staff and volunteers and the support received fromstatutory bodies, corporates and the public helped us tocreate homes together and to make a difference tomany people’s lives.

A total of 7,459 people benefitted from our servicesand support in 2011. This shows the impact of our shift toearly intervention. We settled 173 households, provided30 supported homes, and prevented over 100 householdsfrom becoming homeless. This means that over 300households are not in need of homeless services.

Even in these difficult times we continue to meetchallenges and support the people we work with eachday. We launched a new Supported TemporaryAccommodation project in Dublin to help young peopleescape homelessness and we also launched the Supportto Home Settlement service with the Peter McVerry Trust.

In 2011, we extended our work, targeting themedia, political parties and civil service to advocate onbehalf of people who are homeless and to lobby on keyissues. It was a crucial time because of the GeneralElection, and we worked strategically to keep housingand homelessness on the agenda.

We also continued our work to ensure that FocusIreland is well positioned to react to an ever-changingsituation. We have developed a strategy running from2011 to 2016, which sets out how we plan to play ourrole to combat and prevent homelessness. By the end of2016, we aim to have supported a further 2,500households to secure a home.

We have worked over several years to direct oursupport services towards moving people on to permanent

housing, reflecting both our own vision and theGovernment strategy, Pathway to Home.

However, to provide the final step along the path –access to appropriate housing – we are entirelydependent upon the effectiveness of Government policy.The continued failure of State programmes to deliveraccess to affordable housing is keeping people trappedin emergency accommodation. If this situation isallowed to continue it will make homelessness a way oflife for people rather than a stage in their life that theycan move out of as quickly as possible.

Effective Government policies are required to meetthe country’s housing needs. It is scandalous that forthe third consecutive year we have to highlight thatthousands are trapped as homeless even though thereare plenty of empty homes in the country. We havedone all in our power to raise finance to purchasethese, but to no avail.

We can play a key part in delivering homes, but theGovernment needs to take action to put a new centralmechanism in place to help voluntary housingassociations, chosen by the Department of theEnvironment, Community and Local Government, toaccess finance with managed terms and risks.

We firmly believe that homelessness can be solved,but it needs to be made a political priority. With the rightmix of preventative, housing and support strategies, Irelandcan end long-term homelessness by the end of 2013.

I would like to finish by adding that we remainextremely grateful to our faithful supporters and statutoryfunders, without whom we would not be able to do thelife-changing work that we do.

Joyce Loughnan · Chief Executive

Foreword by Joyce LoughnanChief Executive of Focus Ireland

Dear friends

Because of the harsh economic climate and its impacton the rising number of people at risk of becominghomeless, 2011 was another hard year. The lack ofhousing kept many trapped as homeless, despite thefact that the country is awash with empty homes.

The desire for a place called home is the deepestneed in every human heart, but perhaps the leastrecognised. Home remains beyond the grasp of manypeople because something has happened in their lives.Some catastrophic event has separated them fromhome and they find it impossible to come home againor secure a home of their own.

People who are homeless are going through atransition in their lives. They may be moving fromone home to another and have become stranded inbetween; they may be in transition from familyhome to independence, and something has gonewrong; they may have been mentally ill and are intransition to healing and have yet to find a newplace in the community; or they may be fleeingviolence or abuse.

The danger is that people sometimes becometrapped in this state and never get to the other side –the place they set out for. If there is no one to givethem a helping hand at this crucial time they can slipinto a life that is without hope. People who arehomeless have no possessions or security, and theircircumstances can very quickly take away their self-respect. If they are not helped to ‘come home’ theymay end up bitter and perhaps destructive towardsthemselves and others.

I am deeply worried about the growing inequality inIrish society and the worsening situation for people whoare homeless or at risk of losing their home. The mostrecent EU SILK ‘Survey on Income and LivingConditions’ showed a sharp rise in the number ofpeople living in poverty and a widening gap betweenrich and poor. The harsh reality is that many familiesare struggling, with some already having to choose

between being able to heat their homes or provideenough food for their children.

Worryingly, figures show that of those who usehomeless services, one in seven is a child. Thisclearly shows that poverty is having a serious impacton the most vulnerable. The figures also show thatin Dublin there were at least 576 children usinghomeless services. Meanwhile, figures from theDepartment of the Environment showed thatwhereas in 1991 there were 23,000 households onsocial housing waiting lists, by the end of the ‘boom’in 2008, the figure had more than doubled to54,000 households. This has now nearly doubledagain to a record total of just under 100,000households on waiting lists.

These figures show that we have taken a stepbackwards and that in fact inequality has becomeworse than ever. The current situation is a dammingindictment of the failure of our society and our politicalsystem to protect the most vulnerable. The truth is that,given the political will, homelessness could be solved inthe next few years. It is possible. The work of FocusIreland shows this. When people have someone tolisten to them and to provide them with support, theycan overcome difficult times and secure a home.

This would actually save the State money andalso benefit many thousands of families and singlepeople by providing them with a place to call home.We must all redouble our efforts and continue ourwork together towards achieving this worthy goal.

Sr Stanislaus KennedyFounder and Life President

Message from Sr Stanislaus KennedyFounder and Life President of Focus Ireland

Ireland is going through a very difficult time as asociety. We see this every day as more people come toFocus Ireland seeking support because of the impact ofthe recession. More people are in need of housing andat risk of becoming homeless. Our vision is thateveryone has a right to a place called home.

Focus Ireland ServicesPrevention · Support · Housing

Since 1985, Focus Ireland has worked to enhance its service model, building onthe experience of providing housing and homeless services in order tocontribute to the goal of ending long-term homelessness.

Its wide range of services are targeted at preventinghomelessness for those at risk of losing their home andproviding support for those who are homeless andhelping them to secure and settle into long-term housing.

While Focus Ireland responds in some way to allexperiences of homelessness or the risk of becominghomeless, it has developed specialised skills andcompetencies to support young people and familiesfacing homelessness. These particularly vulnerablegroups often require a complex range of interventions toassist them in sustaining a place they can call home.Focus Ireland has continued to provide and developthese specialised services and has extended them toother areas where they are needed nationally.

Our ability to deliver high-quality assistance toindividuals and families facing homelessness iscrucially dependent on the skill and dedication of ourstaff. In these tough economic times, the support of

State funders, sponsors and many individuals is morevital than ever before.

The deepening impact of the recession on themost vulnerable people in society is reflected in anincreased demand for our services and support duringthe year. Focus Ireland’s services benefitted a total of7,459 adults and children during 2011, compared to6,500 people in 2010.

This increase of almost 15% was due primarily to thegrowth in the number of those using our Extended DayService Coffee Shop, run jointly with Merchant’s QuayIreland Outreach and Dublin Simon, and our ownexpanded advice and information services.

We also managed just under 640 homes in Dublin,Waterford, Kilkenny, Limerick, Clare, Sligo and Cork.Despite many challenges, Focus Ireland’s housingprogramme and tenancy support and settlement workhelped 307 households to secure a home in 2011.

Advocacy, Research and CommunicationThe Advocacy Team continued to develop its work in 2011 as it became moreimportant than ever, given the impact of the worsening economic situationand subsequent funding cuts on our customers and organisation.

During last year’s General Election and the formation of anew Government, Focus Ireland worked strategically tokeep the issues of housing and homelessness on theagenda. This approach continued throughout the year.Focus Ireland works to advance policy positions tohelp tackle and prevent homelessness. Critical to thistask is the need to demonstrate the effectiveness of aparticular policy and communicate evidence of this tokey audiences, such as the Oireachtas, national andlocal government, the statutory sector, other voluntarybodies and the public. An overview of the keyaspects of this work in 2011 follows.

General Election 2011: Focus Ireland ran an ‘ElectionCampaign’ to keep homelessness and housing on theagenda. This included direct lobbying of each politicalparty, calling for specific policies to be included in themanifestos of political parties and engaging the widerpublic through the media and a targeted social mediacampaign. Over 1,200 emails were sent to TDs by oursupporters as part of this campaign. This work continuedafter the General Election with a lobbying initiative on theProgramme for Government, the outcome of which wasthe inclusion of specific commitments on homelessness inthe programme for the new Fine Gael–Labour Government.

To find out more about Focus Ireland’s work please go to www.focusireland.ie and view our full Annual Report 2011.

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