I want to mention something that has impacted the homeless community in the past week. I know it is wearing on me, and it should be wearing on us all. I refer to the reality of homelessness on the streets and the passing of Natasha Smith last Friday. Since Christmas, we have lost three clients of the Lighthouse homeless café. Those numbers are bad but what makes it worse is that too easily those involved can become statistics and then you forget to think about who is behind the numbers. On Pearse Street on Thursday night, we had a ceilí with live music. Natasha Smith was there dancing and enjoying our community atmosphere and then on Friday morning one of our managers was asked to perform CPR on her. Unfortunately, efforts to save her were not successful. She was a beautiful lady and a mother of two. Our condolences go to Natasha's mother, who is very much alive and who is mourning her daughter.

The loss of another person on the streets of Dublin should matter to this House. When we talk about homelessness, we need to make sure we do not focus on the nearly 17,000 people who are homeless as numbers. Behind every number is a face and name. In this case, it was a mother of two. Natasha's death is a clear reminder that despite the efforts that are being made - and efforts are being made - the system is failing people with complex needs. It is ten years since I spoke in these Houses and stated that we needed to make sure we had supported housing for those with complex needs such as those relating to addiction, trauma and abuse. When services such as Focus, Simon and even Tiglin at the Lighthouse meet the people and build up a trust over time, services can be provided because we have built up the core friendship or trust that is required. It is essential that services in this area are funded.

My experience of 20 years of helping out in respect of homelessness has shown that it is not always about a having a roof over your head. Between 150 and 200 people will sleep rough this evening. It is vital that these individuals are taken into account when we are dealing with housing policy. There cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. When the weather turns and the temperature goes down, people try to survive by living in tents. They feel that by going into hostels, they lose both control and their independence. That should tell us something important, namely, that there is a gap which needs to be filled. I reiterate - and I want the Minister to hear this - that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work. We need to provide supportive, trauma-informed models of housing in order to ensure that needs relating to mental health, abuse and trauma will be met. We owe it to Natasha Smith, her children, her mother and the other two people who have lost their lives since Christmas to do this. We need to do better in this area. I call on the Minister for housing to address the matter.