Cork, Ireland—
Cork Foyer, established in Cork, Ireland, is a programme that combines high-quality, reasonable priced housing with tailor-made on-site training or education for young homeless people.
It allows young adults in difficult situations to reach their potential and integrate into society through a variety of programmes and support, reaching around 400 young people since opening.
The main objectives of the Cork Foyer are to provide housing to young homeless and to assist them in the development of their abilities, talents, interests, and reaching their independence. This can be achieved by providing information on housing, security, support and guidance, employment and education. Residents of the Foyer are encouraged to actively participate in the creation and growth of the Foyer services.
The Foyer model, first implemented in France, aims to host young people who experience housing issues. Living in a Foyer builds self-confidence, improves educational and employability qualifications, health and well-being, raises awareness of housing availability and financial capabilities. Furthermore it prepares the youth for real-life situations, supports them to have up-to-date information in terms of services and helps students to build long-lasting friends and networks.
In the last decades, this model has attracted international interest and in addition to a shelter, foyers provide education or training. The Cork Foyer was created in 2007 to help young people develop their skills, become economically independent, and socially integrate into the community. Cork Foyer also challenges any preconceived notions that the community may have about homeless persons, the Foyer project, or young people in general.
The support provided includes working with them on the identification of the factors that led to their homelessness, such as addiction, mental illness, or learning challenges. Skill development activities also include conflict resolution and problem-solving techniques and guidance on a range of adult life challenges, including parenthood and employability. The Foyer puts in place a multi-agency approach to provide young adults with the necessary access to services and systems available through local partnerships with youth organisations. The external agencies can be divided into three groups: housing and resettlement (the Cork City Council), education and training (College of Commerce), and health needs (teen parenting).
The Cork City Council, in collaboration with TUSLA Aftercare Program, Liberty Street Out of Home Service, and Focus Ireland, owns and manages Bishopsgrove Supported Student Accommodation, Cork Foyer’s sister initiative. While assisting in making room in the Foyer and other resources available for homeless persons, this programme provides the chance to realise long-term goals. Only in 2021, 48 students who wanted to continue their studies transferred to Bishopsgrove. To prevent young people from being homeless, living in emergency housing and getting caught up in the cycle of long-term homelessness, Bishopsgrove also targets young individuals who are in immediate danger of homelessness.
The main stakeholders in the project are the Foyer Federation (non-profit organisation assisting young people to change their lives since 1992), the Churchfield Community Trust CLG (social enterprise that provides training, employment, and business skills) and the Cork Education and Training Board (education and training provider in Cork offering creative and flexible services).
The international Foyer network reaches around 10 000 young people each year. Evidence suggests that 75% of young people accessing Foyers go on to make positive progress through better education, employment, health and housing options. Since opening, the Cork Foyer has supported over 400 young people, with approximately 25 young people leaving the Foyer service each year. Throughout 2021, a total 48 young people were housed and supported by Bishopsgrove and its multi-agency team. From the students living at Bishopsgrove, and despite all the restrictions to learning the pandemic imposed, a total of 9 students fully completed their course and the remaining 17 moved onto the next level in their education.
The success of the Foyer is related to the establishment of local partnerships that create a sense of belonging to the community and the acceptance of participants. Thanks to the involvement of different organisations, young people can develop new skills and become independent. The staff of Cork Foyer provides young people with a unique and tailored support that takes into consideration their family background, and other issues including alcohol or drugs addiction or mental disorders.
OECD (2022), "Future-proofing adult learning systems in cities and regions: A policy manual for local governments", OECD Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Papers, No. 2022/03, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/11fa26cc-en.
