More homeless people will die unless urgent action is taken, charities warn

Homeless tents belonging to rough sleepers along the canal in Dublin. Picture: Leah Farrell/RollingNews.ie

More people will die homeless on the streets unless urgent action is taken, with hostels full and some people already “quite near death”, charities have warned.

A man who was rough sleeping was found dead on Tuesday by the old church on St Andrew’s Street in Dublin which was previously used as a tourist office.

He is the first rough sleeper death of 2024.

In Cork City, eight people who were homeless died last year, an increase from the six homeless deaths registered in 2022.

Caitríona Twomey of Cork Penny Dinners warned that more people will die unless urgent action is taken to better support people struggling to cope with the high cost of living and a lack of affordable mental health supports.

There have been so many deaths in the city recently. And more will happen unless things change. These people’s lives are worth saving.

Ms Twomey said that Government is showing a complete lack of respect for Ireland’s homeless when it has a budget surplus and can find billions for other projects, but it allows people to sleep rough in sub-zero temperatures.

“A man has now died in Dublin on the streets. And we are seeing some people quite near death in Cork at the moment. They’re frozen but there’s nowhere for them to go.

“Can government not take these people off the streets and take them in, in the name of humanity?

“It's just heart-wrenching to see them and shameful that it's allowed to happen.” 

Paul Sheehan of Cork Simon said its emergency shelter is now full every night and has been for months, with not enough beds to meet steadily growing demand.

“There's a shortage of emergency beds,” Mr Sheehan said. “At the moment we're accommodating about 74, 75 people a night on average.

“It's the most we've ever housed and we’re still having to turn people away.

“For the last four, five, six months, if not more, all our beds are taken.” 

“Anybody who's sleeping rough and who dies on the street is a tragedy.

The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) has been in contact with Gardaí about the deceased man found in Dublin. It was awaiting confirmation of the person’s identity before it could confirm if they were known to homeless services.

“There is sufficient emergency accommodation in Dublin and we encourage anyone seeking accommodation to contact their local authority and we encourage members of the public to download the Rough Sleeper Alert app to assist teams in supporting people most at risk,” a spokesperson for Dublin City Council said.