One in four homeless people in emergency accommodation in Dublin has a serious mental health problem, new figures released today said.
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But the same proportion suffered from undiagnosed mental health difficulties, the Simon Community, which provides accommodation for homeless people, estimated in its annual review.
Homeless people were 10 times more likely to suffer from mental illness than the general population, it said.
Director Mr Greg Maxwell called for supported housing to be provided to the homeless mentally ill as a priority.
There was a 12 per cent rise in the number of people using the organisation's emergency Dublin shelter last year - a two-fold increase on the number in 1997.
"The Government's treatment of mentally ill people, leaving them to fend for themselves on the streets and in hostels, is taking community care too far.
"The priority now must be on the provision of supported housing for those mentally ill and homeless," Mr Maxwell said.
He said that, with about 1,500 people both mentally ill and homeless around the State, there was a need for at least 500 more community-based residential places in the country over the next three years.
The review also reported that about 70 per cent of those staying in the group's shelter had not done so in the previous year and that 52 per cent had slept rough the previous night.
The Simon Community described the situation for single homeless people as being at "crisis" point with Dublin Corporation housing just 104 such people - almost half the number for the previous year.
PA