Peter McVerry Trust has opened its first CAS for Care unit in County Wicklow. The new unit in Bray will provide a home for a young person ageing out of State care and will act as a key measure in the prevention of youth homelessness in Wicklow.

Under Rebuilding Ireland, Peter McVerry Trust successfully lobbied for the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs to develop a specific Capital Assistance Scheme (CAS) for young people exiting State care. Originally proposed by our founder Fr Peter McVerry and CEO Pat Doyle, CAS for Care was adopted and rolled out nationally. This scheme is a hugely significant development for young people ageing out of care.

As a result, TUSLA, the Child and Family Agency, now carries out annual reviews of the number of young people in State care who are approaching their 18th birthday and are at risk of becoming homeless. This work informs each local authority for this very vulnerable cohort, a cohort that before this move would be the last to be allocated a social housing unit because they could not register for social housing until they turned 18.

At present, Peter McVerry Trust provides aftercare housing and supports to young people across Dublin, Kildare, Wicklow, Westmeath and Laois.