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A homeless person on Waterloo Road, Dublin (file photo) Shutterstock/Damien Eagers

Social disadvantage and addiction are primary reasons for high mortality rate among Ireland's homeless

A new report from Dublin County Council found that there is a higher mortality rate among single homeless people.

SINGLE PEOPLE EXPERIENCING homelessness have a higher mortality rate than the general population and adults in homeless families, according to a new report by Dublin City Council (DCC).

The main determinants of early death in people experiencing homelessness are structural causes, according to the report.

It found that social disadvantage and addiction are the primary reason for a high mortality rate among those who are experiencing homelessness.

The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), provided by DCC, commissioned Dr Austin O’Carroll to complete the “Interim Report on Mortality in Single Homeless Population 2020″. It found that 47 single homeless people died in 2020, compared to the one person in family homelessness who died that year.

This figure is up from 2019, when 26 single homeless people died.

The median age of the deaths was 43; 46 years for men and 33 years for women.

People experiencing single homelessness are defined as people who are single or in a couple and experiencing homelessness, but do not have any children.

The number of homeless people in the single population in 2020 increased since 2019, from 2,550 people to 2,865 people.

These figures include those in emergency accommodation and sleeping rough, but are separate from those in long-term homelessness accommodation, social tenancies and those not registered with the DRHE.

Overall, there were 79 homeless deaths recorded by the DHRE.

The report found that “the longer one is homeless, the higher the death rate” and that “the rise in death rates is particularly steep after 18 months.”

This could be related to the age profile of those in long-term homelessness, the effects of homelessness, or the cause of the person being homeless long-term, for example, substance abuse or mental illness.

The report said “most homeless people originate in areas of deprivation and poverty”, which already contributes to a lower life expectancy and poorer health.

As well as this, poverty is associated with substance abuse, which is in turn associated with an increased risk of homelessness, as is enduring mental illness.

Homelessness itself is also associated with poorer health and lower life expectancy.

The report recommended tackling these structural issues by offering increased access to primary care and mental health services across all emergency accommodation, and extending suicide prevention programmes.

It also recommended extending overdose prevention programmes, such as developing supervised injection centres, widening distribution of Naloxone for opioid users and access to Opiate Substitution Treatment, which fell from 12 weeks of access time to three days, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This interim report can only be complete when death certificates and inquest reports from the Coroner’s Office become available, as well as data on deaths in the general population from the Central Statistics Office.

The report also said there needs to be improved data collection and analysis and recommends a rapid review of clusters of deaths which “may be linked”, according to a press statement.

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    Mute Dermot Mc Loughlin
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    May 13th 2015, 8:16 PM

    I hope they cashew was responsible.

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    Mute Dermot Mc Loughlin
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    May 13th 2015, 8:17 PM

    I’m already leaving.

    129
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    Mute Irene Butler
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    May 13th 2015, 8:20 PM

    Made me laugh

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    Mute Annie Citric
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    May 13th 2015, 10:51 PM

    Nice one!

    2
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    Mute MAN UTDS IRISH REDS
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    May 13th 2015, 7:54 PM

    Do they know what nationality he or she was ?

    263
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    Mute little jim
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    May 13th 2015, 7:58 PM

    Some nut from Brazil.

    404
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    Mute Chris Bruton
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    May 13th 2015, 8:20 PM

    Predictable joke is predictable.

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    Mute The Green Monkey
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    May 13th 2015, 8:24 PM

    What size was the jar………

    36
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    Mute Gary Wilson
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    May 13th 2015, 8:02 PM

    What’s the odds on it being horse?

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    Mute Suzie Sunsine
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    May 13th 2015, 8:15 PM

    What stores sell that here ? I’ve never seen that product before

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    Mute Damien
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    May 14th 2015, 2:27 AM

    The brand or actual Peanut butter?

    If you haven’t tasted it, get some. It’s a gift from god!
    Just stay away from the organic/kelkin stuff, it’s stink

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    Mute Ann-Marie Wallis
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    May 13th 2015, 8:00 PM

    If this happened in the UK, UKIP would be going mad right now.

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    Mute Lily
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    May 13th 2015, 7:56 PM

    As long as s/he is not irish .. Right?

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    Mute Lily
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    May 13th 2015, 7:57 PM

    Small writing –

    No irish people were hurt making this penut butter.

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    Mute Conor Geoghegan
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    May 13th 2015, 8:22 PM

    It’s probably for the best they recall the the product in cashew swallow it .

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    Mute Conker
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    May 13th 2015, 11:19 PM

    They’ll try anything to get into the country these days

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    Mute Mícheál
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    May 13th 2015, 8:05 PM

    I would hope they’re following the correct vetting procedures.

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    Mute Ben Redline
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    May 13th 2015, 8:23 PM

    Such a beautiful story – thank you

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    Mute Ben Redline
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    May 13th 2015, 8:24 PM

    Aahhh where’s the spell-caster comment gone?

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    Mute Dermot Quinn
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    May 13th 2015, 7:56 PM

    Something in peanut butter that shouldn’t be there? Taste?

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    Mute Abi Dennis
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    May 13th 2015, 11:17 PM

    That’s nuts

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    Mute patrick
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    May 13th 2015, 9:39 PM

    More horse meat I suppose.

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    Mute Fran McCarty
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    May 14th 2015, 3:28 AM

    I found a piece of plastic in my ice cream last week. I called the company,and they sent me a check for $5,000 to keep my mouth shut!

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    Mute Cathy Dwyer
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    May 19th 2016, 7:00 AM

    Well you told every one now so you probably need to send back the cheque

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    Mute Neil McDonnell
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    May 15th 2015, 10:03 AM

    Kind of off topic. The link for this article on yahoo has the following description after the Tag line

    Batch of peanut butter recalled in Ireland as it may contain ‘a foreign body’ – Irish Sun
    The Irish government has approved a proposal for the dispatch of an Irish Naval vessel with a crew of 65 personnel to undertake humanitarian search and rescue tasks in the Mediterranean.

    Needless to say I was quite concerned as to why a Naval Vessel was dispatched to deal with a dodge jar of Peanut butter. Luckily it was just a gaff by the yahoo bots.

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    Mute Michael Sands
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    May 14th 2015, 3:04 PM

    Bloody yes referendum voters I suppose lol, that is funny…

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