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Some of the men staying at the south Dublin green area Garreth MacNamee

'Don't let us die': Homeless men's fears as makeshift camp on south Dublin green grows

The group of young men has made the green their home as they sleep rough.

A HOMELESS CAMP has sprung up on a south Dublin green area and the number of people staying there is slowly increasing.

A number of young men, fed up with hostels and sleeping on the streets, have banded together to protect themselves in number, deciding to trust each other instead of relying on just themselves.

The camp is located just off the Luas green line but, due to the men’s concerns over safety, they have asked that we keep the specific location private.

“We’re worried we’re going to freeze to death this year,” one young man said as he climbed out of his tent on Monday morning.

Dressed only in a black t-shirt, the man, who is in his early 20s, shivered as he tried to remain warm. He explained that the number of tents has been increasing as word spreads that their green area is safe and relatively sheltered from the elements.

Screenshot_20161129-094239 The scene at the green area.

“I have a dog, the hostels won’t accept animals. But, to be honest, I don’t want to stay there. It’s just drugs. None of us touch drugs here,” he said.

We want to be safe. A homeless man died on the streets last year, we’re worried we’re going to freeze to death this year.

The demographic of the camp is broad, ranging from young men recently out of prison to the newly homeless immigrant who wants to feel safe.

There were eight tents erected when we approached the men living there on Monday afternoon. One man said the green area has been the safest place he has slept since becoming homeless.

IMG_20161128_155943 Homelessness in the suburbs. Eoin B Eoin B

They don’t mind that they are visible to the passing Luas traffic, instead one man told us that the felt comforted by the sound of the passing trams.

Rather than feel unwanted in the area, the men described how they have been welcomed into the community. Locals have brought them food, sleeping bags, hats, gloves and jackets to keep them warm.

‘We’ve had no problems’

“One of them even said they were sorry we couldn’t stay in their house because they had no room,” said Willie, who is originally from the UK and in his 4os.

“I think they know we’re good people. They came out and gave us really good sleeping bags. It’s getting proper cold now so it’s nice to have every little piece you can get. We feel welcome here. We’ve had no problems.”

Another man, who called himself Patrick, told TheJournal.ie that he has found it difficult integrating back into society following his release from prison. Patrick explained how he was inside for a relatively short stretch but that he didn’t want to go near the hostels as he wants to stay away from drugs.

“You go there to sleep, but most go there to do drugs and then pass out. It’s not what we want. There are homeless people who have drink and drug problems, yeah, we all know that. But then there’s us.

I made a mistake and now I’m living in a tent on the other side of Dublin.

IMG_20161128_155959 (1) View of the green Eoin B Eoin B

While most of the men were happy to talk under condition their full names not be used, one man declined.

‘Bickering brother’

Seemingly angered by the presence of a journalist, the man decided to leave for a soup run.

Patrick explained that the group “has problems the odd time. But because we don’t do drugs or drink, we usually just talk things out”.

According to the group of men, the council has already attempted to move them on from the area.

The man in the black t-shirt has now re-emerged from his tent, dressed in a wooly jumper and a hat.

“The problem is we’re too profitable. Homelessness has become an industry. They profit from us. They say they care but it’s in their interest to keep us on the streets. I don’t think I’ll ever have a home.”

Homelessness reports launch Jackie McConvey leaves a note in a doorway on Molesworth street where her homeless friend Jonathon Corrie was found dead in 2014. PA Archive / PA Images PA Archive / PA Images / PA Images

Dun Laoghaire Rathdown County Council confirmed to TheJournal.ie that ”Dublin’s Housing First Team have visited the location”.

The Housing First Service is funded by Dublin City Council and operated by Focus Ireland and Peter McVerry Trust and engages with people who are rough sleeping across the Dublin region.

Roughan McNamara of Focus Ireland said the Dublin Housing First project has provided permanent homes for 63 people who were formerly rough sleeping.

Initially, the project target was 100 tenancies, which has been increased to 300.

McNamara said the challenge faced by Focus Ireland and Peter McVerry Trust is to scale up housing provision and overcome the acute lack of affordable housing that has hindered the project to date.

Local Sinn Féin councillor Sorcha Nic Cormaic told TheJournal.ie that it is very worrying to see the men group together in the cold.

It just shows you that they feel safer to be outside in the freezing cold rather than take the risk in the hostels.

“I think it’s a very worrying development.”

Read: 76 dead after plane carrying Chapecoense Real soccer team crashes in Colombia >

Read: The last person alive born in the 1800s celebrates her birthday today >

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37 Comments
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    Mute Brian Kelly
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    Jan 26th 2022, 2:33 PM

    It’s a good thing there is still dialogue between them. I’m still on the side of Ukrainian people and their government. They should be allowed to join what ever they want be it the EU and NATO. No other country should dictate to them what they can and cannot do. This is what is called democracy!

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Jan 26th 2022, 4:18 PM

    @Brian Kelly: True, Ukraine should be allowed to join what they want. And I’m sure NATO would be only too glad to have them join. It would mean NATO/US bases set up in Ukraine right in the face of Russia.
    On the other hand could you imagine if Canada or Mexico decided to join a Russian military alliance? With Russian bases set up around Canada or Mexico peering in to the US? I wonder what the US reaction to that would be to that? Maybe they would put 100,000 troops on the border as a show of strength?

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    Mute Roy Dowling
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    Jan 26th 2022, 4:41 PM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: Something tells me Canada isn’t going to quit NATO and join Russia any time soon.

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Jan 26th 2022, 4:49 PM

    @Roy Dowling: of course Canada are not going to join a Russian military alliance. Do I really have to explain to you what the point of using Canada and Mexico in my comment was for?

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 5:04 PM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: russia is a bad neighbour especially with Putin harboring territorial ambitions. you cant blame any country bordering russia from looking for assisstance keeping the bear from the door.

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    Mute Kerrill Thornhill
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    Jan 26th 2022, 5:45 PM

    @Brian Kelly: It’s oxymoronic to keep say you are on the side of democracy and support the violent coup that overthrew democracy in Ukraine in 2014, installing a fascist regime – who incidentally are the only country (with US) who recently refused to condemn the glorification of nazism in the UN. There is a huge swath of Ukraine that does not support the current regime, pretending there is a united Ukrainian voice is garbage, who is going to protect them from more atrocities like this, carried out by Western backed forces: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/02/ukraine-dead-odessa-building-fire

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    Mute Vonvonic
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    Jan 26th 2022, 5:48 PM

    @Roy Dowling: Hypothetical arguments are hard.

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    Mute Jim Buckley Barrett
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    Jan 26th 2022, 6:41 PM

    @superdooper: wouldn’t disagree with you but Cuba felt the same about the US and we nearly had WWIII over Russia attempt at setting up in Cuba.

    There’s still sanctions imposed on Cuba by US today for being a communism country.

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 6:49 PM

    @Jim Buckley Barrett: true. i think the americans found it useful to have cuba as a bogeyman. gave them a handy enemy.

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    Mute Roy Dowling
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    Jan 26th 2022, 7:09 PM

    @superdooper: Israel and Saudi Arabia are bad neighbors. Don’t see the EU, NATO or the US imposing sanctions and threatening them if they keep attacking there neighbors.

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 8:34 PM

    @Roy Dowling: true.

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    Mute Thomas Harrington
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    Jan 26th 2022, 9:40 PM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: they’re all gangsters dude – the yanks/ nato in Iraq – the russkis in Syria – the only ones that gain are the crooks at the top and regular folk suffer – until we have a brotherhood of man nothing will change

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    Mute Paul Duffy
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    Jan 26th 2022, 10:10 PM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: didn’t we have something like that before…. oh yeah Cuba
    The yanks didn’t like that one little bit

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    Mute Niall Dunne
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    Jan 26th 2022, 11:12 PM

    @Roy Dowling: yeah he’s just showing it from Russia’s point of view. This thing is the Cuban missile crisis in reverse. Now it’s the Americans who are friendly with Russia’s neibhours and they’re worried about first strike missiles being placed in ukraine a couple of thousand miles from Moscow. America lost the rag when it was the Russians putting their missiles in Cuba. And yes America invaded Cuba too they just got some separatists to do the work much like what Russia is claiming.
    Recently both countries have been shooting down their own satellights in a message that says don’t try putting the missiles in space attached to satellights. Now we have space debris that presents a hazard. Both of these countries have no right to involve the rest of the planet but that’s the status quo.

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Jan 27th 2022, 12:01 AM

    @Brian Kelly: Funny but when the Soviet Union put missiles in Cuba the US responded just like Russia is now. Where was the democracy when the U.S. supported by the coalition ( NATO ) invaded Iraq. Hypocrisy and propaganda at it’s best

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    Mute Vonvonic
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    Jan 26th 2022, 3:49 PM

    The Americans need to back out of this. Everything they do is influenced by their own internal division now. Biden is the only one making threats at the moment. Putin has been playing the American division for years and there’s nothing to suggest this is any different. The Americans need to concentrate on how to fix their own union before all he’ll breaks lose there.

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 5:05 PM

    @Vonvonic: you remember russia invaded ukraine in 2014 right and seized the crimea. he got away with it then and now hes looking for more. appeasdidnt work with the nazis and it wont work here

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    Mute Fr. Fintan Stack
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    Jan 26th 2022, 5:16 PM

    @superdooper: do you remember when the US and its allies invaded half the middle east and got away with it?

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    Mute Vonvonic
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    Jan 26th 2022, 5:17 PM

    @superdooper: “Appeasment didn’t work with the Nazis” is a cliche based on a misunderstanding of the facts; and propagated by Curchillites. In reality, it allowed Britain the time to arm up. Even after the Nazis invaded Poland; it took months before Britain were in a position to enter the war properly.
    In any case; it’s has no resemblance to current events. The absolute imperative in Ukraine is to avoid war. The French are far more likely to achieve this through diplomacy than a US which doesn’t know what to do with itself; never mind Ukraine. Biden is making a complete fool of himself with the tough talk.

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    Mute Fachtna Roe
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    Jan 26th 2022, 6:22 PM

    @superdooper: The last thing Russia needs is more land. It’s already the largest country on the planet, by a very long margin. This is about security for Russia. They do not trust NATO. They accepted NATO as a neighbour in the smaller Baltic states, but they’ve said repeatedly and consistently that Ukraine is a line too far, because of those security concerns; which appear justified considering that NATO keeps prodding at them. If there are parallels with Nazis in the 1930′s, then the lines run in exactly the opposite direction to that which you think they do.

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 6:30 PM

    @Fr. Fintan Stack: so the fact that us invaded iraq means that russia gets a free invasion of ukraine is it?

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 6:32 PM

    @Vonvonic: the war could have been avoided altogether if france and britain had refused to allow germany to rearm in the first place. they ignored the nazis rearmament and allowed hitler act with impunity on the mistaken belief that if they acceeded then he would stop. he never did

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    Mute Vonvonic
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    Jan 26th 2022, 6:35 PM

    @superdooper: The nazis had rearmed well before appeasement came about. Go.away and read about.
    Again, nothing to do with the current situation in Ukraine. It’s not a zero sum game. Nothing is black and white here.

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 6:51 PM

    @Vonvonic: the Ukrainians would say its pretty black and white.

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 7:00 PM

    @Vonvonic: appeasement continued for almost the entirety of the 1930s. if the allies had taken a stronger unified approach at the reoccupation of the rhineland it might ( and what were both talking about is whataboutery) have deterred the nazis.

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    Mute Vonvonic
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    Jan 26th 2022, 7:30 PM

    @superdooper: The British military stated over and over in the 30s that they didn’t have the capacity to defend the med and the homeland. It was the main reason for appeasement. They wanted to keep their empire.
    No, the Ukranians wouldn’t say it’s black and white. Their stated aim is a diplomatic solution. Are you saying that someone should go to war with the Russia?

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 7:52 PM

    @Vonvonic: i dont russia should go to war with anyone. i think russia should withdraw from crimea

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    Mute Damian Moylan
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    Jan 26th 2022, 10:03 PM

    @superdooper: Russia have been invaded in the past by Germany and Napoleon. Russia wishes to protect its border and do not want Nato military bases on its border as was agreed in 1991. Russia is the largest country on earth full of minerals, metals, oil and gas. They have no need for small additional tracts of land in Eastern Europe. Russia needs access to the Black Sea so they can get to the Meditteranean and the Indian Ocean. The Russian Navy is based in Crimea and they have been there for centuries since Elizabeth The Great defeated the Ottoman Empire who previously defeated the Greeks. So no way they were going to give up those Navy bases.

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    Jan 26th 2022, 10:24 PM

    @Damian Moylan: in 1994 ukraine returned 1700 nuclear weapons to Russia in exchange for territorial agreements. Russia broke those sgreements when they invaded in 2014

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Jan 27th 2022, 12:04 AM

    @superdooper: Think the Russians have experienced the Nazi regime before. Wonder why you didn’t mention the coup that brought the present Ukraine government to power. If you can remember the Western media claimed the new government were right wing fascists..Funny how that has suddenly changed.

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    Mute Colm O'Leary
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    Jan 27th 2022, 6:38 AM

    @Damian Moylan: this isn’t about Russia gaining land it’s about Putin rebuilding the USSR in his image and longing for his old KGB days and for that he needs Ukraine, and if he’s let get away with seizing that where will he stop? The border with Germany? Will he try to get eastern Germany back. At what point does he get told enough is enough. After he invaded Hungary or the Czech Republic.??

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    Mute andrew
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    Jan 26th 2022, 10:06 PM

    Russian minorities in Ukraine don’t want to be under Kiev rule and is Russian a language of the EU when their are minorities in the Baltic states and decades of Russian influence in eastern and central europe. Europe needs to make overture to Russia that shows that it respects its security issues.

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    Mute superdooper
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    Jan 26th 2022, 10:27 PM

    @andrew: so russia is allowed sponsor rebellion amongst their populations living abroad then seize territory

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    Mute Colm O'Leary
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    Jan 27th 2022, 6:43 AM

    @andrew: This is nothing to do with security. That’s just Russian propaganda. It’s to do with Russia taking back land that it considers to be Russian. Despite the fact hat it isn’t Russia’s to take back!

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    Mute George Vladisavljevic
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    Jan 26th 2022, 4:00 PM

    The best solution to this crisis and conflict would be best resolved by dialogue between the people of the Ukraine and the people of Russia, as they are the ones that have the most to lose if this conflict escalates.

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    Mute Splat
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    Jan 26th 2022, 6:40 PM

    @George Vladisavljevic: oh the democratic peoples of Russia?… I just fell off my chair.

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    Mute Seán Ó Briain
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    Jan 26th 2022, 9:55 PM

    @George Vladisavljevic: Russia isn’t interested in dialogue. Where was the dialogue when they annexed Crimea? Where was the dialogue when they sent in soldiers and funding to terrorists in Eastern Ukraine? Zilch.

    Putin is a tyrant.

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    Mute Damian Moylan
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    Jan 26th 2022, 10:11 PM

    @Seán Ó Briain: Ukraine broke the agreement about Crimea where was agreed annual lease for the land upon which the Russian Navy have their bases. Turns out Russia has been in Crimea for centuries (1783) and most people working there are connected to the Russian Navy complex. As a largely land locked country they need Crimea as access point to the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean. No way they were going to be forced to leave the Black Sea and replaced by the U.S. Navy or Nato ships in Crimea on their doorstep.

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    Mute Zmeevo Libe
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    Jan 26th 2022, 11:05 PM

    It is great that France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia are having talks without the Americans. By all that was written in the last week it looks like the US of A are doing their best to ramp up the tensions. After all, if a war starts they will be on a different continent, so why not start s small profitable war in Europe? I wonder how long will NATO last. It is so blatantly pushing for American interests over those of their allies, you wonder how would European countries keep up the appearances?

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    Mute Colm O'Leary
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    Jan 27th 2022, 6:48 AM

    Russia is the kid in the playground who’s parents had a really bad divorce and he’s going around bullying other kids because it gives him a sense of power. Now substitute that bully for Putin.

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