Homeless immigrants - We have duty because of our own past

“Any society, any nation, is judged on the basis of how it treats its weakest members – the last, the least, the littlest” – Cardinal Roger Mahony, in a 1998 letter, Creating a Culture of Life

If, as Cardinal Mahony suggests, a nation or society should be judged by the compassionate way it cares for its weakest and most in need then a report in today’s Irish Examiner suggests we have much work to do.

With images of more than 700 people queuing outside a Dublin friary for free food parcels still fresh in our memories and the continuing problem of long-term alcohol and drug-related homelessness well documented, our report today reveals how a new class of “homeless” are living in our midst.