Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 May 2023
355. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if he will outline his response to the Health Service Board report into deaths among people who were homeless at time of death in Ireland in 2019; and if he will set out what his Department’s response will be to the findings of the report. [25556/23]
View answerOn 17 May 2023, the Health Research Board published a report of premature deaths among people experiencing homelessness. This feasibility study was commissioned by the Department of Health to address the need to improve understanding of premature mortality among people who are homeless nationally, and to provide more complete and accurate national data to inform policy.
My colleague Minister Hildegarde Naughton and officials from her Department, accompanied by the authors of the report and officials from the HRB and HSE, presented the report at the Q2 meeting of the National Homeless Action Committee, which I chair. This report is the first Irish study to examine the number and cause of death in people who were homeless at the time of their death on a national basis. This report makes for very difficult reading. The report found that a total of 84 deaths occurred nationally in 2019 in people who were homeless at the time of their death. I extend my sympathies to the families and friends of the deceased and also acknowledge the important work carried out by those on the frontline. It is a priority of Government to assist people in vulnerable situations.
Housing for All commits Government to work towards ending homelessness by 2030. The Plan contains a number of actions to address homelessness including actions which support the health needs of people who are homeless.
The Housing First programme is one of the key responses in ending long-term homelessness among those with complex health and mental health needs. It provides the most vulnerable of our homeless population with a home for life as well as key wraparound health and social supports. Under the Housing First National Implementation Plan 2022-2026, an additional 1,319 supported tenancies are to be delivered nationally over the next five years. 871 individuals are currently in a Housing First tenancy.
My Department is committed to continuing to work closely with the Department of Health, the HSE and local authorities to continue to deliver the appropriate measures to support all individuals experiencing homelessness including those with complex needs.
