The Government must urgently address the failings in the homelessness system highlighted in a joint report launched today by Depaul and Mental Health Ireland, according to Social Democrats TD Liam Quaide.<\/p>\n
Deputy Quaide, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on mental health, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe report, entitled \u2018Breaking the Cycle: Addressing Mental Health and Homelessness Through Integrated Care\u2019, found that mental health difficulties are twice as prevalent among those experiencing homelessness than the rest of the population.<\/p>\n
“Some people are being left to fall through the gaps, with professionals interacting with those in homelessness services hesitant to engage with anyone with dual diagnosis – people with both mental health difficulties and addiction.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven those with access to mental health services spoke in the report of receiving repeated prescriptions without access to a psychotherapy or multidisciplinary team \u2013 a worryingly poor practice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe report also highlighted the added difficulties experienced by marginalised groups. Women were said to be experiencing \u2018systemic exclusion\u2019 from mental health services due to their homelessness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThose who have moved from direct provision centres to emergency accommodation struggled to ensure any continuity in their access to support. And with the report highlighting the fact that 91 different nationalities have accessed homelessness services in recent years, language continues to be a significant barrier to accessing mental health services.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere must be an urgent step change to ensure a more holistic approach to supporting those in homelessness services with mental health difficulties. We need collaboration between services providing mental health and addiction support.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe also need to see the co-locating of homelessness, mental health, and addiction services. This would help ensure that individuals can access wraparound supports and more comprehensive care.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Government must urgently follow through on the report\u2019s recommendations to reform the Mental Health Act (2001), including alignment with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to protect the rights of all persons with mental health difficulties; to fully adopt the Dual Diagnosis Model of Care; and to scale up Housing First programmes which address homelessness, mental health and addiction issues together.\u201d<\/p>\n
March 13, 2025<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Government must urgently address the failings in the homelessness system highlighted in a joint report launched today by Depaul and Mental Health Ireland, according to Social Democrats TD Liam Quaide. Deputy Quaide, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on mental health, said: \u201cThe report, entitled \u2018Breaking the Cycle: Addressing Mental Health and Homelessness Through Integrated […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[663,652,653,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11900","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-homelessness","category-liam-quaide","category-mental-health","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n