Minster for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drug Strategy, Colm Burke has announced €4.9 million in Budget 2025 funding for the operational costs of the new 100-bed community care facility for people who are homeless, managed by the Dublin Simon Community.
The Minister made the announcement as he visited the community care facility at Usher’s Island in Dublin 8, where services are now being provided.
The facility aims to provide enhanced tailored health, addiction and social care for single adults who are homeless in the Dublin region. This group comprises an estimated 4,600 people, many of whom have complex health needs including co-morbidity and drug addiction.
Minister Burke said:
“The Usher’s Island facility is the largest investment to date by the Department of Health in healthcare services for people who are homeless and demonstrates our commitment to meeting their complex health needs by improving equity of access to services.
“I’m very pleased today to have the opportunity to visit the centre and to meet the excellent start providing wonderful care and treatment in a safe space.
“The provision of services here will help to transform lives, providing stability for people when they need it most, supporting their rehabilitation and recovery from drug and alcohol dependency and aiding their return to independence.
“It will also help to ease pressure on hospital services and will play a critical role in meeting the Government’s aim to eliminate long-term homelessness by supporting people to engage with housing-led recovery programmes such as Housing First.
“I commend all involved in getting this project up and running, and I look forward to continued partnership with the Dublin Simon Community and the HSE to bring the centre to its full operational capacity.”
The first 51 beds are expected to deliver 700 treatment episodes per year across four clinical programmes. An additional 49 beds will be opened incrementally.
The service will provide integrated care pathways with the main Dublin hospitals, as well as with Health Service Executive (HSE) inclusion health services.
It’s anticipated that this will improve equity of access, reduce the number of Emergency Department presentations among the target population, and relieve bed usage in acute hospitals. It will also support people to exit from homelessness into independent accommodation through Housing First, transitional housing and social housing.
The impact of services in the new facility, including activity levels and client outcomes, will be monitored and recorded in an annual report, while an independent evaluation will be commissioned in 2026.
