Fears deaths of 10 homeless people in Dublin last month is 'tipping point'

The number of homelessness deaths in July represents almost a third of last year’s total of 34 deaths. File image

There were 10 homeless deaths in Dublin last month alone in what Fr Peter McVerry has described as another public health crisis that should be a concern to the country.

The homelessness campaigner said last month's deaths has led him to fear that the country may be facing a "tipping point".

The number of deaths in July represents almost a third of last year’s total of 34 deaths.

“We may be witnessing a tipping point for people who are homeless as the type of deaths we are seeing from suicide and overdoses are typically deaths of despair,” says Fr McVerry.

“Despair can quickly set in when hope fades and people see no hope of an end to their time in emergency accommodation or sleeping rough.” 

The Dublin Regional Homeless Executive collates the figures for the capital.

There have been other homeless deaths this year in the midlands, Cork and Galway but there is no single body monitoring such figures.

“When this loss of life is coupled with the overall number who are homeless and the prevalence of indicators of ill-health among the homeless, it is clear that we are dealing with a public health crisis,” says Fr McVerry.

The priest, who is a social justice advocate for the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice, has warned that the crisis will escalate now that tenancy protections had been removed.

“The pandemic proved we have the capacity to respond with urgency, seriousness, and generosity when needed. The housing and homelessness crisis is not separate from the effort to defeat Covid-19. The human cost of homelessness in Ireland is now also a public health threat.” 

The Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice wants the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Darragh O’Brien, to designate homelessness as a public health crisis.

It believes that secure shelter conditions will reduce deaths and help alleviate the mental health difficulties of people experiencing homelessness.

Also, prompt access to high-quality addiction treatment and counselling for anyone needing such services is essential.

Inner City Helping Homeless says the surge in deaths are not limited to Dublin, with deaths occurring around the country over the last month.

ICHH chief executive, Anthony Flynn, says some homeless people who lived in the emergency units where the deaths occurred were left traumatised by what they witnessed. 

They were moved to alternative accommodation but received no mental health supports until the ICHH’s mental health team stepped in.