The Housing Authority was the Leading Development Partner in the project HEADSTART, which had a total budget of e263,721, of which 75% was financed via the European Social Fund and 25% was funded by the Maltese Government. The other Maltese partners were the ETC, the Department for Social Housing, APPOGG, the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality between Men and Women (NCPE), St Joseph's Home, Osanna Pia Salesian Youth Hostel and Dar Suret il-Bniedem.

The project, divided into three phases, sought to provide residential care leavers with the life skills needed to survive and the possibility to live in commercial housing. The first phase of the project, which took place during the first half of 2005, refined the project actions. Phase 2 was implemented between July 2005 and June 2007. During this two-year period, the final candidates were selected, trained and supervised in their work placements. For the duration of the training and work placement, these trainees benefitted from grants equivalent to the minimum wage. During the third phase, contact was established with the transnational project partners who hailed from Northern Ireland, Lithuania, Netherlands and Sweden. The transnational partnership was designed to allow activities and information to be disseminated, to address issues and promote awareness of the problems that still exist with regard to the employment of disadvantaged groups.

The beneficiaries of this project were fifteen young men and women, aged between 16 and 25 who, over a five-year period, had spent a minimum of two years in residential care or in foster care. The project beneficiaries were in possession of basic literacy skills and had not completed secondary education or vocational certification. Preferential consideration was given to those without a fixed abode, particularly those still residing in an institution or in temporary shelters.