700 people with mental health issues helped to stay in their own homes last year

This could include advice on staying on top of bills or coping with antisocial behaviour linked to being ill.

“Even when tenants become unwell, we would have great success in sustaining those tenancies,” Mr Walsh said.

Hail also sources homes through various schemes.

There are now 25 Hail tenancies in Limerick including homes for families, shared houses, and smaller units for single people.

“They’re all around the place, they are not together,” he said. "I think that works well for the tenants, it does integrate them into the community as well which is good.”

One scheme is the National Mental Health Transfer Project. This saw accommodation transferred from the HSE or local authorities and renovated for independent living.

Hail also has some general needs tenants through the Tenant In Situ scheme which saw landlords sell to local authorities.

We are hoping to expand in Limerick, because there is a huge need in Limerick with both the supported tenancies and [others].

“The HSE often come to us to ask if we have availability or if we have properties coming on line, because they do have candidates for shared properties as well as single-occupancy. There is a huge demand in Limerick.”

Shared houses are popular, for example, with people who might struggle to live alone after being in an institution, but can cope with support from Hail teams.

“We say ‘this is your property, it is yours for as long as you want it’ so it does give that level of security,” he said. “They have their own keys, they control that and decide who goes in and out.”

Hail’s annual report, published today, shows the association supported 694 people to stay in tenancies across 16 local authority areas. It provides 474 homes across Limerick, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Offaly, and Longford.

Some 71% are for people with significant and enduring mental health difficulties. Hail works closely with HSE mental health services.

Hail CEO Martina Smith said it aims to provide an additional 300 homes over five years: 

“The work we do helps people who would often be at risk of homelessness or hospitalisation to maintain their tenancy and live independently in their home and community. 

"We are providing a vitally important and cost-effective service to the State,” she said.

However to sustain the level of services we provide and expand into more communities across Ireland, we need additional funding from the Government.

 Ms Smith called for the Government to ensure “at least 10% “ of Part V properties are allocated for people with mental health difficulties. This is under the Planning and Development Act.

Adequate funding structures for the tenancy sustainment services are also needed, she said.