Tragically, there were a number of deaths during the summer involving people accessing homeless services. Our sympathies go to the families who have lost loved ones in this way and indeed to the dedicated service providers that have also suffered the loss.
Supporting households experiencing homelessness is a priority for this Government. The Programme for Government recognises that many households experiencing homelessness have additional support needs and includes specific measures to address these needs. These include measures to help rough sleepers into sustainable accommodation, the continued expansion of Housing First, with a focus on the construction and acquisition of one-bed homes, and, importantly, ensuring that necessary health and mental health supports are provided to assist homeless people with complex needs.
Ultimately the key to resolving homelessness is to increase the supply of housing, particularly for those on the lowest incomes. To this end, the Programme for Government commits to the increased supply of public, social and affordable homes. In particular, we will increase the social housing stock by more than 50,000 with an emphasis on new builds.