382 deaths among those using Dublin homeless services since 2018
Father Peter McVerry, from the Peter McVerry Trust, at the launch of an evictions ban bill, at Buswells hotel, Dublin. Picture
Almost 400 people who had accessed homeless accommodation services have died in the past five years, new figures show.
The highest number of deaths were notified in 2021 at 115, while the second highest was last year, with 95 people passing away while in use of services.
Fr Peter McVerry said the Government needs to improve access to addiction services, mental health services, and emergency accommodation, which he believes will reduce the number of deaths among homeless people.
Data shows that 25 people died between 2020 and 2022 while placed in ‘shielding’ — accommodation for those either with Covid-19 or at risk of contracting the virus.
The figure of 382 deaths was obtained by Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín from Dublin City Council, and does not include homeless people who may have died while sleeping rough.
The data provides a breakdown of the number of people who have died in various types of accommodation including:
- 109 died in supported temporary accommodation, which are homeless services provided by NGOs;
- 106 died in long-term accommodation, normally older single people or young people in "own-room" accommodation;
- 58 died in private emergency accommodation, which is made up of hotels and hostels with visiting support;
- Other deaths took place in tenancies which are funded through homeless and outreach services.
Fr McVerry said there are long waiting lists — up to four months in Dublin — to receive treatment for addiction.
“During that time, the person could end up dead or become despondent,” he said.
Fr McVerry also said that trying to access mental health services for homeless people “is a nightmare”.
He noted some of the almost 400 deaths would include people who died of natural causes as well as drug overdoses.
The Government is under pressure to tackle the homelessness crisis with figures hitting a record high for the fifth consecutive month at 11,542.
The figure has increased steadily despite the introduction of an eviction ban in November. People Before Profit will bring a Private Member’s Bill on Tuesday to introduce a ban on evictions for the duration of the current housing emergency.
The figures do not include any deaths outside of Dublin, as these are not recorded by other local authorities, something Mr Toibín described as a “disgrace” as there is not a true representation of the issue.
When asked why he thinks there is no nationwide collation of data regarding the number of people that are homeless, Fr McVerry said there can be an “attitude” amongst decision-makers that homeless people are not important, and so gathering statistics is not seen as an urgent issue.
Reacting to the death notifications, Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien said his department is implementing the recommendations made by Dr Austin O’Carroll who found that people who were homeless for more than 18 months had a mortality rate eight times that of people who had been homeless less than six months.
“Behind every number there is a person, and we must, and we do, remember that with any death of a person experiencing homelessness there is a family and loved ones who are grieving their loss,” he said.
“We know that some people who sadly passed away do so while receiving treatment and are surrounded by wraparound services which are provided by our hardworking NGOs while others — those at the sharpest edges of our homelessness crisis — pass away whilst sleeping rough.”
However, Mr Tóibín said the minister needs to “wake up” and he called for concrete action.
“We need to start funnelling resources and funding into working-class areas," he said. "The task cannot be offloaded onto community groups and volunteers — we need Government funding.”
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