A new homeless prevention strategy dealing specifically with people released from institutional care was launched today by the Government.
The strategy is aimed at preventing homelessness among patients leaving hospitals and mental health care as well as adult offenders and young offenders leaving custody.
It will involve a co-ordinated approach from a number of different Government departments including Justice, Health, Education and Housing.
On the justice side, the strategy will establish a specialist unit by the Probation and Welfare Service to assist homeless people.
The provision of transitional housing units to preapare offenders for release is also intended. The strategy also recognises the importance of providing education and training for offenders on their release from custody.
On the health side, psychiatric hospitals will employ discharge officers to liaise with patients’ next of kin or to ensure that patients have suitable accomodation after release.
It is estimated that 6,000 people are currently homeless in Ireland while thousands more are on waiting lists for houses.
Head of Focus Ireland, Mr Declan Jones, said the group broadly welcomed the Goverment’s strategy.
Mr Jones said: "Recent research had found that two thirds of those leaving health board care and one third of those leaving special schools for young offenders experienced homelessness in the first two years of leaving care."
He said: "This served to highlight the urgent need for measures to address these problems."
Minster for Housing, Mr Bobby Molloy said: "It is our hope that this strategy will assist in cutting off one of the recognised routes into homelessness, by ensuring that those leaving institutional care who are at risk fo homelessness have a suitable place to live with any supports they may need."
The Minister for Health, Mr Micheal Martin, said: "The objective of the strategy from my Department’s vewpoint is to provide guidance to health boards to ensure that policies and procedures are in place to reduce the risk of people becoming homeless on leaving institutional care."
The Minister for Justice, Mr John O’Donoghue, said: "A seamless range of services must be provided to meet the needs of homeless offenders."
