TDs have expressed their shock at a 61% rise in homeless deaths in Dublin last year.
The Oireachtas housing committee heard how the city’s Regional Homeless Executive confirmed 79 people had died.
This compares to 49 fatalities in 2019 and 47 the year before.
Social Democrats housing spokesperson Cian O’Callaghan said fatalities on the streets “cannot be tolerated.”
He added: “It is tragic so many people who are homeless died in 2020.
“It’s incredibly worrying that we have seen a 61% increase in homeless deaths in a year.
“We cannot tolerate this. We know what needs to be done to end homelessness.
“We have to provide people with homes and supports. The minister must urgently take action to address this.
“The median age of death of someone who is homeless in Dublin is 42 – that is decades shorter than the rest of the population. We cannot allow this to continue.
“The Government needs to ramp up the delivery of Housing First – where people who are homeless are provided with a home of their own and, crucially, with wraparound services to support their needs.
“This is an evidence-based approach that works and it needs to be rolled out rapidly.”
Dublin City Council housing chiefs were also at yesterday’s meeting.
Officials have admitted to serious failings that have seen dozens of people sleeping rough in the capital every night having been turned away from shelters that have empty beds.
The council said it plans to make amends and won’t let vulnerable people sleep on the streets while hostel space is available.
Bureaucracy saw homeless people refused a bed during the recent freezing weather just because they weren’t from Dublin.
An RTE PrimeTime earlier this month exposed the shameful practice as it showed homeless people sleeping rough after they were denied shelter.
DRHE (Dublin Regional Homeless Executive) deputy chief executive, Brendan Kenny told committee members it is actively working to resolve the problems.
He said: “We accept we did not get that balance right in a small number of cases over recent months.
“We will ensure that all such people will be offered temporary emergency accommodation, if at risk of having to sleep rough, subject to availability with the necessary assessment carried out over the following few days.
“To this end when we have available beds, we will offer temporary accommodation until we can contact the local Authority of origin and coordinate a response.”
