58 homeless deaths were 'real people', says volunteer

There were an estimated 58 deaths of homeless people in Northern Ireland last year, according to a report from the official statistics agency.

The NI Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) has published figures on the deaths of homeless people for the first time.

The statistics cover the calendar years 2020 to 2024.

Damian McNairney from the People's Kitchen charity said the figures were "very depressing".

"That's 58 characters, 58 people who were members of families, who had sons and daughters, mothers and fathers, they are real people - it's not just a figure of 58."

Mr McNairney, who volunteers to help feed Belfast's homeless community, said he believes the figures were an "underestimate" of the true number of deaths.

"There are people off the grid who aren't included either."

In 2024, 20 estimated deaths of homeless people were in Belfast, the highest number in any location, according to the figures.

Kirsten Hewitt, director of homelessness services at Simon Community, said the current support system was "at breaking point".

"The need is growing faster than we can respond, and far too many are left without support," she said.

"This Christmas, hundreds of children are waking up in hostels or hotels instead of a permanent home".

She added that without investment in house building or homelessness prevention services "thousands more people [would] continue to face homelessness and the devastating risks that come with it".

Across Northern Ireland, 74.1% of those who died were male and 25.9% were female.

Just under half, 46.6%, of estimated deaths of homeless people in 2024 were under the age of 45, according to the figures.

Drug-related causes were the most common, accounting for an estimated 27.6% of all deaths of homeless people last year.

The statistics agency says the new estimates have been derived using a "specific methodology".

It added that the definition of homelessness used "seeks to identify individuals based on the circumstances at the time of their death rather than whether they were statutorily homeless or not".

In 2020, the first year of the statistics, there were an estimated 67 deaths of people experiencing homelessness in Northern Ireland.