'More deaths' unless Cold Weather Initiative for homeless activated, charity warns

Anthony Flynn of Inner City Helping Homeless says Minister Eoghan Murphy needs to make more emergency beds available now.

"We have seen for weeks now that the temperatures are dropping and the rain is getting worse and worse," said Mr Flynn.

"We are going in to the winter months and what we find is we have a lack of services implemented.

"The Cold Weather Initiative is usually put into place in September but that's been later and later for the past number of years now.

"On average 160 people are sleeping rough across the city on any one night and without access to appropriate beds and appropriate services, we are going to see more deaths on the streets over the winter months."

Yesterday, a homeless man died after he was found unconscious on a street in Dublin city centre.

The man, in his late 30s, was found unconscious by passers-by at Foster Place close to Trinity College at around 7am.

He was rushed to St James' Hospital where he died an hour later.

Mr Flynn said that the man's death was "another avoidable tragedy".

He said that it is an "unacceptable loss of life within a broken service" and that the system is failing the most vulnerable in society.

This can’t become normal or acceptable.

According to Mr Flynn, there are beds that are currently sitting empty because they are not being staffed.

"Wolfe Tone Quay is an emergency measure that could be activated tonight.

"We haven't got the 160 or 200 beds that are required in order to take everyone off the street but there are measures that can be taken through the Cold Weather Initiative that should be done immediately.

"We have seen deaths year-on-year during the winter months," he said.

"We are not reacting in the manner that we should be and we are going to see more deaths unless the Minister activates the Cold Winter Initiative this month."