Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy announces €665,000 in funding for health projects for homeless women
-
From: Department of Health
- Published on: 29 January 2026
- Last updated on: 29 January 2026
The Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing and the National Drugs Strategy Jennifer Murnane O’Connor TD has today announced €665,000 in recurring funding for four projects aimed at improving health outcomes in women who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
The Minister made the announcement during a visit to one of the projects run by Ana Liffey Drug Project Mid West Region in Limerick.
All four projects were originally funded as pilots under the Women’s Health Action Plan, and were developed in response to local need. Each have demonstrated a positive impact in improving health outcomes for the women involved and will now be supported with recurring funding under Budget 2026.
This announcement supports the HSE National Strategic Plan to Improve the Health of People Experiencing Homelessness in Ireland, which seeks to put in place sustainable and integrated good quality healthcare initiatives that meet the needs of people experiencing homelessness.
The four projects and allocations are:
HSE Midwest: Ana Liffey Midwest - €126,562. Improving health outcomes for women in insecure or unsuitable housing across the region who require access to women’s health services.
HSE South West – Good Shepherd Cork: €218,366. Supporting a multi-disciplinary team to improve access to health services for women who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
HSE Dublin and North East – €200,000 is allocated to support two programmes of work, including the provision of a gender-based violence (GBV) trainer and case manager through the Ana Liffey Drug Project, working alongside the PACT assertive in-reach teams, and the delivery of a peer support programme comprising seven part-time Peer Support Workers (PSWs) and a Peer Support Coordinator, hosted by ACET, Cairde, AkiDwA, Acts of Compassion, Empower, and Black Therapists Ireland, supporting women from Traveller, Roma, and migrant communities experiencing unstable housing conditions.
HSE Dublin and North East - €120,000 to improve healthcare services to support Traveller women who experience or are at risk of experiencing homelessness.
The Minister said:
“I am pleased to confirm that projects originally funded under the Women’s Health Action Plan, that support local services, are now being funded on a recurring and sustainable basis. This illustrates the Government’s commitment to the goals of Sláintecare, including an emphasis on delivering care in the community and enabling access to good quality health services, and the Government’s commitment to ending homelessness, as highlighted in Delivering homes, building communities, the government’s housing plan to 2030.
“On my visit to the Ana Liffey Drug Project in Limerick today I heard how this funding can have a life-altering impact on women who are supported to access the healthcare services they require. Assertive outreach services are helping us to reach those who are all too often marginalized and ignored, giving them a chance to receive support and care to improve their health.”
Notes
The four funded services are:
HSE Mid-West
This service in HSE Mid-West, in partnership with Ana Liffey Drug Project Mid-West, aims to improve health outcomes for women in insecure or unsuitable housing across the region who require access to women’s health services in the community. It is an assertive outreach service, where two outreach workers travel to and engage with women who are often in vulnerable situations, encouraging them to come to the inclusion health clinic. The outreach team supports them while they are there and assists them in attending relevant follow-up appointments.
HSE South West
HSE South-West, in partnership with Good Shepherd Cork (GSC), supports a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) with significant focus on improving access to health services for women who are homeless or are at risk of homelessness. The funding has enabled the addition of a clinical psychologist and two addiction outreach workers to the team, strengthening supports for women with mental health and addiction needs.
HSE Dublin and North East
A Gender Based Violence (GBV) trainer and case manager have been added to the service provided by Ana Liffey Drug Project (ALDP) alongside the PACT assertive in-reach teams. The GBV trainer engages with staff in accommodation for homeless persons, delivering training on how to provide service in a trauma informed way and how to identify victims of DSGBV. The case manager provides specific supports and interventions to individuals residing in Private Emergency Accommodation that have experienced DSGBV.
A second programme in this region focusses on improving healthcare services for Traveller women who experience or are at risk of experiencing homelessness. Traveller specific outreach workers complement the HSE assertive case management team, by providing culturally appropriate care and linking the Traveller women into healthcare services in a supported way.