Breaking the Cycle: Addressing Mental Health and Homelessness through Integrated Care
Using Depaul administrative data and first-hand stakeholder accounts, this research shows the urgent need for joined-up support services to help people in Ireland who are homeless and dealing with mental health and substance misuse difficulties. People who are experiencing homelessness often face higher rates of mental health difficulties and addiction, and these difficulties are being underreported in administrative databases.
These issues are made worse by difficulties in accessing services, with some individuals being less likely to disclose when they are in need of support because of previous negative experiences. Though accessing mental health services is difficult for the general population, the way services are currently organised can make things harder for vulnerable individuals.
Recommendations
This report calls for putting in place person-centred, trauma-informed, and flexible mental health supports for people experiencing homelessness. It points out gaps, like not enough funding, lack of staff training, and poor teamwork between homelessness, mental health, and addiction services. It also highlights good practices, such as teams with experts from different areas and services located in the same place. These approaches have shown better results and improved experiences for people using the services.
The specific recommendations focus on addressing gaps at organisational, regional, and national levels and cover these areas:
- Adjusting Service Delivery Models
- Provision of Mental Health Supports
- Improving Access to Training and Good Practices
- Enable Collaboration and Systemic Improvements
- Invest in Infrastructure and Resources
- Improvements to Data and Monitoring
Policy Implications for Ireland
The recommendations provided carry significant policy implications for Ireland, particularly in addressing the gaps in mental health and addiction support for people experiencing homelessness and residents in International Protection Accommodation Services. These include the need to integrate and streamline services and prioritising multidisciplinary and trauma-informed approaches to care. Policies should aim to enhance data collection and monitoring systems to better understand the prevalence of mental health difficulties among people experiencing homelessness, enabling more targeted interventions. Investments in staff training across clinical and non-clinical roles are essential to equip workers with the skills to provide effective, empathetic support while addressing stigma and barriers to care.
Expanding Housing First initiatives and co-locating homelessness, mental health, and addiction services would provide holistic support, ensuring that individuals receive timely and comprehensive care. The implementation of the Dual Diagnosis Model of Care and the establishment of multidisciplinary teams through Ireland would address the intertwined nature of mental health and substance use challenges, improving outcomes for people experiencing homelessness. Additionally, scaling up peer support programmes and flexible service delivery models would foster greater engagement and inclusivity, particularly for marginalised groups.
At the national level, adequate funding is crucial to support these initiatives, along with efforts to remove systemic barriers, such as administrative hurdles, that hinder access to care. Policies should also focus on enhancing housing dignity through single- bedroom availability and supporting family unification to strengthen social stability. Collectively, these measures underscore the importance of adopting a person-centred approach to tackling homelessness, mental health, and addiction issues in Ireland.