HAP (Housing Assistance Payment)
Families are expected to engage with HAP (Housing Assistance Payment), a form of social housing support provided by local authorities. These local authorities can provide housing assistance for households who qualify for social housing support, including many long-term rent supplement recipients.
Key-working support
Families are expected to link in with both keyworkers and specialist support worker to organise and attend viewings. Key workers are responsible for assessing service users’ needs and linking them in with external services.
We recognise the importance of having families establishing strong relationships with external agencies prior to their move-ons. It is hoped that families who have external support in the community will be in a better position to sustain their accommodation, which will prevent them from re-entering the homelessness cycle.
Budgeting
Keyworkers link in with their families weekly to assist them with budgeting. Families are given a form to fill out which helps them to set up a direct debit to pay their rent. If families fall into arrears they are given a rent agreement which assists them with paying back their rent.
Meitheal Process
Staff are trained in Meitheal. This is an agency under Tusla that brings a multi-disciplinary team together to support the families’ needs to prevent child protection concerns from escalating. Families attend these meetings once a week. Once the Meitheal process has been completed the families will maintain these supports when they move on to independent living.
Addiction
Keyworkers work with families to address addiction issues. They are encouraged to link in with local services within the community.
Programme Activities:
- Monthly Community meetings
- HAP workshops
- Arts & Crafts for children and adults
- Baking and Cooking Classes
- Student-run gardening workshops for families
- Women’s Pampering Days to address mental health
- Men’s Shed Activities - such as pool and table tennis
- Life skill workshops promoting healthy eating
- Sports Days with families
- Football tournament with other services within the Salvation Army.
- Talent Shows
- Boxercise
- Teddy bears Picnic for children
- Creative Writing and Music Workshops
- Seasonal activities and outings, such as trips to the cinema or zoo.
External Activities:
- South Dublin City Partnership run employment and educational programmes in Crumlin village for the families in the community- Obair.
- SDCP coordinate family support workers to come to the hub to meet families on a weekly basis to encourage child play.
- Barnardos run a Parent and Toddler Group on a weekly basis in Agnes’s Road.
- Samson provide educational workshops for the families on managing challenging behaviour and coping with living in the Family Hub.
- Volunteer Dorine runs mental health workshops with the women every Thursday morning.
- Paediatric First Aid workshops provided on site by Dublin City Childcare Committee
- Author sessions through Coca Cola fund – award winning author delivering a creative writing sessions to our children (on site).
- Community Health Nurse meeting individual families on a weekly basis (on site).
- Ombudsman visited the service to interview families.
- Incichore college, LIberties and Pearse college- residents have linked in with around courses.
- English Language courses have been provided for families in the family Hub.
- Lucena clinic is available to children suffering with mental health.
- Tus-Programme- offer maintenance and cleaning programmes.
- Care bears and after school programmes for children living in the Hub.
- St Vincent De Paul offer assistance with education funds and food packages.
- Jobstown family Centre offers counselling services to the families.
- Summer Project- Lois DCCC.
Families also receive weekly food parcels distributed by TSA staff.
