'Truly shocking, and not good enough': Call for better supports as 31 homeless people die in Dublin so far this year

Since the beginning of July 10, homeless people have lost their lives in the capital. Picture: File picture/iStock

There has been 31 recorded deaths within homeless services in Dublin so far in 2020. 

The grim figure represents an increase on previous years - 34 homeless individuals died in Dublin in 2018, and a further 35 people died last year.

Alarmingly, since the beginning of July 10 homeless people have lost their lives in the capital.

While Dublin has seen the largest amount of deaths, with five people losing their lives over the course on one week earlier this month, deaths have also occurred in Cork, and elsewhere in the country.

Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH), which provides outreach support and advocacy services for homeless people in Dublin, is calling for better mental health support for people living in shelters and o Dublin's streets. 

"Some residents of the units where the recent deaths have occurred are traumatised by what they witnessed and they were moved to alternative accommodation without any mental health supports," the charity said today in a statement.

From March 1st to June 30th our volunteer outreach support teams conducted 10,434 on street engagements with people sleeping out in doorways, tents and parks.

This was the period the city was on lockdown.

8,424 of these were men.
2,010 of these were women. pic.twitter.com/6aByebQIVg

— ICHHDUBLIN (@ICHHDUBLIN) August 6, 2020

Commenting on the figures, ICHH CEO Anthony Flynn said:

''The figures released today by homeless services are truly shocking. 

A total of 31 who were homeless have died since the beginning of the year in Dublin with July seeing an extraordinary spike. 

"100 individuals have died in service in the last 2.5 years. With many deaths being declared as unknown. This frankly isn't good enough. 

"This cannot become acceptable, appropriate wrap round supports need to be put in place for all of those who are vulnerable with appropriate mental health supports on entering homeless services. 

Ten people have died through July and we have not heard a peep from the newly appointed Minister of Housing on this. 

"Homelessness brings all sorts of complexities and deterioration of mental health is one such complexity.''