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Updated 5pm
A GROUP WORKING with people who are homeless in Dublin counted 154 rough sleepers in the city overnight.
The numbers were recorded by four outreach teams covering the north and south inner city areas last night.
A similar count carried out in April of this year found 98 people sleeping rough in the streets of the capital.
Speaking this morning, director of Inner City Helping Homless said:”This is an unacceptable number which is constantly on the increase, and depicts a worrying trend.”
Flynn said investment in long term housing units was needed to address the problem, rather than short-term beds, and called for Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan to intervene.
“The Minister needs to address this immediately or Dublin will soon become Europe’s homeless capital.”
Housing supply
The four Dublin local authorities said today they they continue to be concerned about rough sleeping in the region. They said they rely on their own rough sleeper count, the most recent of which revealed 127 people were sleeping rough in April.
In a statement, they said the critical issue in relation to addressing the problem is housing supply. “It is widely recognised that there are very significant constraints in both the private rental sector and in relation to social housing supply,” they said.
The local authorities also said their own services are under “severe pressure” to meet the need in Dublin and are “working tirelessly to ensure that sleeping rough can be avoided”.
Action
Here are some of the things they said they have been doing to address homelessness in the city:
However the local authorities confirmed that there are still a total of 143 families with dependant children living in hotels in Dublin because there is nowhere else for them to go.
- With additional reporting by Michelle Hennessy.
First published 7.48am
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I seem to remember a few years back in France I believe that all the homeless were given these bright yello or orange tents to sleep in. They then slept on places where mostly tourists could see them which highlighted the problem fir all to see. This then implemented changes and the homeless were given more help. Let’s not hide this problem but deal with it.
For 10+ years I have seen the same young lad probably around 12 – 14 living on the streets in Dublin, he went from a kid in a mildly dirty tracksuit to a skin and bone zombie draped in a blanket! I have often given this chap change to get food etc but deep down I know his future was not looking good.
I seen him the other day on Henry St out cold with a dirty Starbucks cup pointing towards the hoards. It is deeply upsetting. The majority of people I see homeless are Irish, there is even one who sleeps in front of a warm vent at the back of my place of work.
There are so many un-occupied places that could house these people, but like others they will end up a haven for drug abuse and in some cases violence, It would be nice to offer them some sort of job like cleaning the streets for a low wage to pay for a small accommodation.
An opportunity like this could change the life of a poor unfortunate person who just wants to get off the streets and get a bite to eat.
That young lads name is scotch. He is a traveller
Homeless capital of Europe? The problem is bad but exageration and hyperbole doesn’t help. There’s over 2,000 living rough in Lisbon for example. The problem in Dublin with rough sleepers is so much more than housing, usually involving drug/alcohol abuse or mental health issues
Homeless capital of Europe? Berlin with 3.3 million people, has over 4000 homeless people. One of the richest countries in Europe. Dublin 1.3 million people, 150 homeless people.
Bobby , that’s 150 homeless than we know of , what about the rest of Ireland ?
I’m not sire it’s really an increase – April was incredibly cold so anyone who could go indoors would have.
Given the recent warmth, and how unpleasant some hostels can be, it’s probable that some made the hard choice of saving some money by sleeping outside.
In Italy the churches are now opening their doors to newly arrived migrants, why are our empty churches not being used for the homeless ? The Pope would not object !
Brilliant idea. The homeless get shelter and the Church gets to claim an increase in “attendance”.
really? are you sure?
I thought there’d be more-but 1 is too many. Sad.
We’ll never have zero homeless. That’s impossible.
Interesting that this story is one of the least read articles this morning in The Journal in the last two hours.
It’s Only second from the bottom of least read pieces at this time (09:37) & certainly the one with the fewest comments, most of which are just people being humorous anyway..
..for all the coverage lately via the media & government, I wonder are the majority of readers (or irish people in general) really concerned about this subject at all??..
Don’t mind these f…ks there s plenty of places for them they won’t stay in them. See it all the time. Cop on people, no cash to be made indoors
I beg to differ. Nothing is impossible, there just isn’t the political will there to solve the problem. There’s always a solution. Be it building hotels, fitting out abandoned houses. In all fairness 154 isn’t a lot of people to sort out, how many empty hotel rooms were in dublin last night? How many empty buildings that could be used to put a roof over their heads. Not long term solutions, a start and better than doing nothing
And yet we are told in another article earlier that asylum seekers are being looked after with full accommodation and an allowance . yet the homeless here have nothing and get no help except from the charities who do fantastic work . shocking and shameful on the government !
Probably all irish too, bring on the red thumbs do gooders.
Ive spoken to several homeless people who say theyd rather sleep on the street than risk their possessions & even their lives in some of the hostels.some of these hostels are notorious for horrendous conditions, violence, drug &alcohol abuse. I think the standard of emergency accommodation also needs to be addressed for those individuals who are trying to change their lives for the better.
150 people sleeping rough in a metropolitan area of 1.5 million? That actually sounds like success.
I noticed many of Dublins homeless people are foreign. The government should get them a flight and return them back to the country they’re from.
They are homeless by day. Roma gypsies are not homeless. They are professional beggars sending money back to bulgaria and romania to fund organised crime
You should probably drop down to the Garda station with your evidence that Roma beggars are part of an organised crime syndicate… oh wait, you cant because you’re talking through your hole.
Oh Ron, your moral high-ground naivety is amusing
You have no clue. Sheltered existence.
There is not enough money to in begging to support organised crime. That racist TV3 reporter who was involved in having the Roma kids taken away from their parents (in Athlone I think) did a program on it and even he ended up admitting that it wasn’t happening.
There’s an article about the program here, but lets not let evidence play any part in forming our beliefs, lets go with prejudice and stupidity instead.
http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/tv-radio/last-nights-tv-bogus-beggars-26762007.html
Still amused Larry?
There’s two large houses beside the Mater Hospital that is filled to the rafters with Roma. Their “employer” bases himself in Castleknock. He has a number of private rented properties and funnels their begging money through his property portfolio. His bank account is in AIB West End Retail Park.
Ron,
Just stop, please.
Margaret, Run down to Paul Connolly with that information and he’ll give you a couple of grand for it if it turns out to be anything other than the ravings of some nutter.
Imagine the expose he will do with that info, I cant wait to watch it, let me know when it’s on.
150 people sleeping on the street that does not account for the hundreds that made it into a hostel or short term accommodation, the problem is a lot bigger and wide spread than you think, as for people saying it’s all people with mental illness and drug habits, tell to the families traipsing around hostels and hotels because they have been evicted after losing a job etc or beciase rent allowance is being refused everywhere……. Homelessness is not always a choice and there is not enough being done to tackle it in theong term…….
In this weather it’s called camping out.
I woke up in my garden Sunday morning, am I included in these statistics?
If you move beyond solving homelessness itself, and accept homelessness and homeless people- rather than ignoring it altogether like the Govt a lot could actually be done to integrate the homeless into the city.
For example for those that are able, if they had the option to work for DCC doing small jobs around the city.
And if well designed simple shelters were built in specific locations – all 1 person each and well distanced from each other. They could even be build into the wall and fold up.
Also wasted supermarket and convenience food could be better recycled and collected for the homeless. Same goes for clothing.
Canberra the capital of Australia has a population of 380.000 with 1700 homeless on the streets……
Not too many sons or daughters of local councillors, they all got looked after first.
Day are not from ireland
Sending all the money to Africa. Etc etc. And they wouldn’t send us back a Mars bar if we were in trouble. Always said . Charity starts at home……
155
Give every one of the a brand new house then a brand new car.Problem solved!
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