Homeless people ‘may not know of extra beds’

THE LACK of a high-profile campaign to highlight a cold weather initiative for people sleeping rough is deeply concerning, the head of a leading independent charity has warned.

Alice Leahy, head of Trust Ireland, said while details of a cold weather shelter had been circulated by Dublin City Council last November, it had not been highlighted by anyone at statutory level in recent weeks.

She said it was impossible for homeless people to know where the extra beds were. Dublin City Council’s cold weather initiative in the city centre area is for entrenched rough sleepers who are not in regular contact with homeless services and who are sleeping rough during very cold weather.