About

Support Services
	Support At First Housing we are committed to improving and optimising the life choices and housing futures of people who are homeless and in urgent need of a place to live. For this reason we have established a number of homelessness prevention initiatives and early support systems to reduce and prevent the number of people in danger of becoming homeless due to tenancy breakdown. These initiatives include a mental health resettlement support service for clients with a mental health illness, and a floating support programme for young people and families who have acquired a tenancy for the first-time or existing tenants who are finding it difficult to sustain a tenancy of their own

Youth Support

Youth Support
The Youth Accommodation Support Project, located in Derry, Limavady and Strabane is a unique service for young people aged 18-25 years that supports better youth transitions across housing, employment and family formation and delivers pre-tenancy training and life skill initiatives to equip young people with the necessary essential skills for them to maintain and sustain a home.

In 2007 the YASP project provided support and pre-tenancy training to 190 clients that were homeless or at risk
of losing their tenancies.

Resettlement Support

Mental Health Resettlement Support

Our mental health resettlement support service provides help, advice and practical assistance to people with enduring mental health issues that have been discharged from hospital and who are living independently in the community. The service works in partnership with a wide range of statutory, voluntary and community sector organisations in Derry, operating as far as Strabane and Limavady.

The resettlement support service was established in 1990 to assist people with mental health illnesses access and secure long-term accommodation in the community. The service, which is client-led and client focused works with a wide range of agencies and support providers to assist people with mental health issues access and maintain appropriate housing in the community.

The aim of our Mental Health Resettlement Service is:-
To provide help, advice and practical support to clients with a mental health illness.
To assist clients with the development of appropriate living skills with which to sustain a tenancy in the community.
To advance and promote the take up of opportunities in training, education and employment.

Floating Support

Floating Support
In 2004 we launched our floating support service in conjunction with the Northern Ireland Housing Executive to help individuals and families in their transition from homelessness to independent living. The aim of our floating support programme located in Derry, Enniskillen and Omagh is to improve and enhance the independent living skills of people at risk of experiencing homelessness and/or tenancy breakdown.

Services offered:

    - Advocacy and accompaniment to agencies
    - Social security benefits
    - Family and social relationships
    - Monitoring health and wellbeing
    - Leisure and recreational activities
    - Parenting skills
    - Employment/training/education
    - Ensuring contact in an emergency or out of hours situation

Referrals

Referrals are made through statutory and voluntary agencies and self referrals. Download a referral form here

First Housing Charity Number: XR19886