Help the homeless groups do good work, but lack of vetting is a worry

In the wake of allegations of abuse in the homeless sector, is it time that voluntary outreach workers, however well-meaning, were regulated, asks Donal O’Keeffe

Every Tuesday and every second Friday night Homeless Help and Support Cork set up on Patrick Street, Cork, to hand out hot meals and clothes. Last Tuesday evening over 60 people turned up. Picture: Dan Linehan

We must assume that Anthony Flynn set out with good intentions. Moved by the nightly sight of so many people sleeping rough on Dublin’s streets, the then 27-year-old began in 2013 to distribute sandwiches and sleeping bags to those in need.

Soon others joined him, and what would become Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) began, with Mr Flynn becoming a tireless advocate for the capital’s rough sleepers. He would go on to build ICHH into a registered charity and a respected voice for the homeless, and in 2019 stood successfully for election to Dublin City Council.