......Dr Sharon Lambert told the Irish Examiner that she had rarely, if ever, met a homeless person that did not have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Left untreated, PTSD can be chronic and long-lasting, leading to dysfunction in people who may otherwise live ‘normal’ lives, and can manifest in drug and alcohol misuse.

Dr Lambert said that while homelessness and addiction were complex issues, they had to be taken together in many cases if treatment and help was to work. Housing, trauma training, and dual diagnosis — when mental disorders occur with addiction — were key in addressing the scourge of homelessness, she said......