Colette Kelleher (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for her time yesterday at the dementia awareness training. The mental health reform agenda makes a clear case to me, as it has to other Senators, for the retention of the €35 million funding and some areas have been identified as suitable for the money to be spent, such as an adequate investment in peer support services and a greater availability of other social inclusion supports, like talking therapies. I am a bit late because I was speaking to Dublin Simon whose counselling service is drastically underfunded. They are anxious to extend the service and, as the Minister will know, mental ill health and homelessness go hand in hand. Other areas include the development of culturally appropriate mental health services for people from ethnic minorities and the development of mental health services for particular groups of individuals, such as people with a co-morbid mental health difficulty and addiction. A person may have an addiction or mental health issues but cannot get joined-up services as they have to go through one door or another.

A statutory national advocacy service for both adults and children with mental health difficulties could be set up and there is a need for a dedicated funding stream for tenancy sustainment supports for people with mental health. In my Cork Simon days mental health was often a reason people lost their tenancies. This creates an awful problem for the person but it also creates problems in the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government. Increased staffing in community mental health services up to the levels in A Vision for Change are also needed, as are access to 24-7 crisis mental health supports. When I was in Cork Simon the dramas happened on Saturdays and Sundays or over the Christmas period when everyone else was on holidays. Mental health crises do not happen on a Monday-to-Friday basis. We need increased investment in in-reach liaison services for people in the criminal justice system as many people in our prison system are mentally unwell and not getting the supports they need.