Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this really important issue. I was very saddened to hear of the deaths of those two men in recent days. At any time of year, although particularly in the run-up to Christmas, the deaths of people who are homeless fills us all with sorrow. As I understand it, there have been media reports concerning the deaths of two individuals in Dublin between the evening of 24 November and the morning of 25 November. One of these deaths was of a man who had a tenancy in long-term supported accommodation. The second man was found in a tent in Dublin 2. The circumstances of his death have not yet been fully established. These deaths are tragedies for the families involved and we extend our sympathies to those families and to all who knew them. Out of consideration for the families of these men, people should respect their privacy and should not speculate as to the individual causes of their deaths.

On the evening concerned, the DRHE outreach team worked through the night, as it does every night, to bring rough sleepers into emergency accommodation. A total of 31 people came into emergency beds on that night while 32 spare emergency beds were available to homelessness services in Dublin city. No person should die on our streets because of the lack of a bed. There were beds available and there were support workers on the street encouraging people to come in that night. The death of people who use homelessness services is taken very seriously. As the Deputy has mentioned, the HSE and the DRHE have commissioned a detailed review of all recent deaths in homelessness services. This was agreed on 10 November. Although we already know a great deal about this matter from previous work, it is important to get a more current picture to help us to understand why the number of homeless people who are dying is rising while the number of people who are homeless is falling.

Each case is different and has a personal story behind it. We should respect that and not engage in gross simplifications. I appreciate that the Deputy did not do that. He spoke about the interplay between homelessness, addiction, mental health and all of the other issues that make this such a difficult problem to solve. It is important to ensure that the Government fulfils its duties to protect our vulnerable and to reduce homelessness in our cities and towns. It is vital that we continue to deliver appropriate measures to ensure that all individuals experiencing homelessness are helped to exit homelessness and move into permanent housing and that those with complex health and mental health needs are provided for.

The programme for Government contains a commitment to expanding the Housing First approach, which has been successful to date. This approach is based on understanding that the best way to deal with people's underlying problems, whether these relate to their mental or physical health or other issues, is to make sure that they have a roof over their heads. That has worked quite well so far and further investment will be made in it. The Government is also acquiring more one-bed homes. There is a real shortage of one-bed social housing units in Ireland at the moment. So many of those who are homeless are single men and they need such accommodation in combination with the required support services. As of the third quarter of 2020, 459 people have been housed under the Housing First programme. This is making a difference and we will continue to build on it.

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