Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 24 June 2021

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government

Interim Report on Mortality in Single Homeless Population 2020: Engagement with HSE

Dr. Austin O'Carroll:

I thank Deputy O'Donoghue. I have done a great deal of work with, and visited, all of the services in Limerick. There are great services in Limerick. I know them well. Unfortunately, I was commissioned by the DRHE. The HSE, however, is commissioning a national report on deaths in homelessness. I will not be specifically looking at deaths in homelessness but the HSE is commissioning a separate report in that regard. I do not know when it will be delivered but I presume it will be in the next year or two.

I agree with the Deputy that we need to look at homelessness nationally and to identify and address the issues. In many areas, the same issues are arising.