Extern has responded to the death of another person from homelessness in Belfast over the weekend. Extern provides a homeless support service, which is funded by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive, in conjunction with Supporting People and the Belfast Trust.

A dedicated social work outreach team provides specialist assessment and intensive support to those who are homeless, at risk of homelessness and who have additional needs relating to mental and physical health, substance use, learning disability, offending, families and asylum.

Commenting on the latest death of a young female who was homeless, Danny McQuillan, Director of Supporting Communities, said:

“The latest report of a young woman dying yesterday in Belfast City Centre is another tragedy for people who are homeless. We really need urgent steps to address this issue - one death on our streets is one too many.

Since April 2015, Extern’s Multidisciplinary Homeless Support Team have responded to the needs of 1,122 individuals and families experiencing homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless in the Greater Belfast Area, that’s an average of 110 a month. At Extern, we will continue to open our doors to people who are homeless, and provide support to people who come seeking help.”

“Extern meets people at their point of need. In addition to providing specialist assessment in the Housing Executive, we work across the sector, providing professional support to those who have multiple needs. We work alongside 16 different hostels and with outreach teams in the City Centre.

We provide over 60 homeless hostel beds and help over 2000 people affected by homelessness. Demand for our services has increased by over 50% in the last two years and underlines the fact that homelessness is much more than just a housing issue,” Danny added.

For advice or support on homelessness, contact Extern on 02890 330433