Man sleeping rough found dead on Dublin city street

A rough sleeper in Dublin City centre. Photograph: Leah Farrell / © RollingNews.ie

The body of a man who had been sleeping rough has been found in Dublin city centre.

Pearse Street gardaí were alerted to the discovery of the man’s body on St Andrew’s Street early on Tuesday morning by a homeless organisation.

His death is understood to be the first official recorded death of a rough sleeper this year, according to the homeless organisation, A Lending Hand.

The man’s death comes as a status yellow temperature has been issued by Met Éireann with night-time temperatures plummeting as low as -5 degrees.

The Department of Housing and Gardaí both confirmed that they were notified of the man’s death.

The Department of Housing spokesperson said the discovery of the man’s body was a “tragedy” and they extended their sympathies to the man’s family.

The spokesperson added: "It is important to establish the circumstances involved, and that our response is based on the best knowledge and evidence available.” 

An additional 330 permanent beds have been added to homeless services by Dublin City Council.

The single adult beds were introduced into the system last October by the Council in a bid to get rough sleepers off the streets.

Dublin Region Homeless Executive director Mary Hayes said that the beds are “permanent with no end date in 2024”.

In addition, there are 40 extreme weather beds in Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) services, which are made available as needed, depending on the demand for homeless services on any given night. 

A Lending Hand spokesperson said of the death: “This has been my fear, that a rough sleeper would lose their life especially now with the weather cold snap. 

"This is the first death this year of a rough sleeper and it won’t be the last unless more adequate and safe accommodation is opened up.

“It’s ridiculous that in 2024 we have someone losing their life on the streets. We are only in the second week of January and already someone is dead.”