65% of homeless attempted suicide

Almost two thirds of clients who took part in a pilot study run by Dublin Simon said they had made at least one previous suicide attempt.

The figure is contained in an interim report on measures to manage suicidal ideation among the homeless population, alongside the announcement of funding for a specific out-of-hours counselling service for the homeless.

The report, entitled Opening the Door to Hope, involved 17 clients working with Dublin Simon Community’s Sure Step Counselling Service, and 30 Simon staff receiving collaborative assessment and management of suicidality (CAMS) training.