Dublin Simon calls for Budget 2027 action on homelessness during visit by Labour leader Ivana Bacik to its Usher’s Island Health and Addiction Care Facility
Charity calls on Government to honour its commitment to fully open a 100-bed facility and deliver a dedicated strategy to tackle homelessness in Dublin
Dublin, 10 September 2026: Dublin Simon Community called on the Government to use Budget 2027 to deliver urgent investment in housing and homelessness services during a visit today by Labour Party leader, Ivana Bacik TD, to its Health and Addiction Care Facility at Usher’s Island.
The charity said there is “no justification” that 25 of the 100 beds at Usher’s Island are still not operational at a time of record homelessness and growing pressure on hospitals and emergency accommodation. It called for €13.9 million in multi-annual funding to fully operationalise all beds at the facility which opened earlier this year.
Ms Bacik toured the first-of-its-kind facility, which provides residential treatment and healthcare for people experiencing homelessness with substance use and complex health needs. Clients can access detoxification, recovery programmes, blood-borne virus care, stabilisation and Step-Up Step-Down support.
Ms Bacik was told that high occupancy levels and strong referral pathways, including direct referrals from hospitals, demonstrate both the level of need and the potential of the facility to reduce pressure on the health service while delivering better outcomes for people experiencing homelessness.
Catherine Kenny, CEO of Dublin Simon Community, said: “It is simply unacceptable that beds at our Health and Addiction Care Facility are lying empty when people desperately need them. Budget 2027 must provide the funding to allow all 100 beds at Usher’s Island to open.”
“The care delivered here is lifesaving. It helps people with some of the most complex combinations of homelessness, addiction, mental health difficulties and chronic physical illness, while also reducing pressure on hospitals and emergency services. There is simply no logical reason to delay the full opening of this facility.”
She said funding Usher’s Island must form part of a much wider Government response to a homelessness crisis that can no longer be tackled through emergency accommodation alone.
Ivana Bacik TD, leader of the Labour Party, said she supports the call on the Government to provide funding to allow for the full opening of Usher’s Island.
“I am delighted to get the opportunity to see firsthand the incredible work being done here by Dublin Simon Community. Homelessness is one of the defining issues of our time and to see this unique facility offering tailored healthcare to one of the most vulnerable groups in our society gives me much hope for the future.
“I understand that the Health and Addiction Care Facility has been transformative in what it has been able to achieve over the last two years. Despite its success, it has not been given the necessary resources to reach its full potential. It is imperative that the Government provide the promised funding.”
Dublin accounts for the overwhelming majority of those living in emergency accommodation, with roughly 70% based in the capital alone. In its Pre-Budget Submission, Dublin Simon is calling for a dedicated Dublin Housing and Homelessness Strategy to be led and funded by national Government, bringing housing, health, social protection, justice and local authority responses together under one coordinated framework.
The charity is also calling for the establishment of a time-limited Dublin Housing and Homelessness Crisis Team, reporting across relevant Government departments and agencies and focused on delivering measurable outcomes.
Other key Budget 2027 proposals are:
- €2.1 billion in capital funding for social housing in Dublin, with a target of delivering 5,000 newly built social homes in 2027.
- A target for 2,000 households to exit homelessness into permanent housing in Dublin by the end of 2027.
- A dedicated long-term strategy for single adult homelessness, the largest group in emergency accommodation.
- A doubling of investment in Long-Term Supported Accommodation, from €12.7 million to €24 million by 2028.
- €13.9 million in multi-annual funding to fully operationalise the 100-bed Usher’s Island Health and Addiction Care Facility.
- An additional €15 million for Social Inclusion Health, including €5 million each for trauma-informed care, addiction and dual-diagnosis services, and homeless mental health treatment and counselling and
- Action to address the pay and workforce disparity between staff working in Section 10, Section 38 and Section 39 organisations and equivalent roles in the HSE and public sector.
Ms Kenny said the Government must shift the focus from managing homelessness to ending it. “Dublin needs a properly funded, multi-year plan that measures success not by the number of emergency beds available, but by the number of people who leave homelessness for good. We need more social and affordable housing, stronger health and addiction services and sustained housing options for people with complex needs.
“Budget 2027 is an opportunity for the Government to make that shift. It must match the scale of the crisis with the scale of the response.”
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Media contact
Marcus Heagney
Senior Communications and Public Relations Executive
Dublin Simon Community
Email: marcusheagney@dubsimon.ie
Phone: +353 86 815 0255