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Leon Farrell via Photocall Ireland

A woman who is nine months pregnant was sleeping rough in Dublin last night

ICHH says the homelessness situation in the capital is getting worse.

Updated 11.10pm

SEVEN PEOPLE ARE entering homelessness in Dublin every day according to a group working with homeless people in Dublin.

Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) say there’s been a 53 per cent increase in homelessness in Dublin in the past 6 months.

The government set a plan to end long term homelessness by 2016.

Last week €29.7 million in funding was announced to tackle homelessness in Ireland with a new Homelessness Implementation Plan.

ICHH estimate that about 7 or 8 million euro will reach Dublin.

Director Anthony Flynn said, “The plan is not working. The money is welcomed but it’s not going to go a long way in terms of a long term solution.

122 people were fed on the streets of Dublin last night.

“We’re asking the government for a long term investment plan where void homes are repaired and long term housing is secured”.

On the streets

Speaking about their experiences of being out with ICHH, volunteers said that last night they came across a 24-year-old woman who was 9 months pregnant with three weeks to go on the streets.

They also met a 20-year-old woman who had just handed her newborn baby into care as she didn’t see any hope for her future.

It was also stated that the volunteers came across men with no shoes.

Gary Gannon has volunteered with ICHH. He said that when he was giving out sleeping bags and blankets homeless people did not want to take more than one as they didn’t want someone else to be without.

“It’s the same with food, I’ve seen homeless people just take one sandwich because they want to make sure there’s enough for everybody”. He added:

If people on the streets can show that kind of compassion and social conscience, why can’t our politicians?

Action 

Councillor Brid Smith said that houses need to be bought back by Dublin City Council and that voids need to be repaired.

She said the system of putting people into hotels isn’t good enough and that once the tourists start coming there will be no rooms available.

ICHH called on Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Housing Minister Jan O’Sullivan to go out on the streets with them and witness the situation in Dublin.

Christy Burke, Board of Management with ICHH said that:

There’s no votes in homelessness, they don’t give a damn.

- First published 1.08pm

Read: Homeless director says there are new cases of people sleeping rough in Dublin every night>

Read: Rough sleeper numbers up as Dublin’s inner city hits ‘crisis point’>

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    Mute Paddy Reid
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    Feb 16th 2018, 1:29 PM

    That’s so sad. He must have been so confused. RIP.

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    Mute Dizzy
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    Feb 16th 2018, 1:57 PM

    Gosh I’m so sorry for that man and his relatives and friends.

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Feb 16th 2018, 2:00 PM

    Heart wrenching. I hope he didn’t suffer. RIP.

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    Mute Daniel Carson
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    Feb 18th 2018, 5:26 PM

    @Deborah Behan: oh god what a fairy you are

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    Mute Daniel Carson
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    Feb 18th 2018, 5:27 PM

    @Daniel Carson: that comment was not meant for you. I apologize

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    Mute Henry Matthews
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    Feb 16th 2018, 4:34 PM

    Could you not have wrote Mr Burke.?…why can’t journalists have basic respect….

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    Mute Charles Alexander
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    Feb 16th 2018, 4:59 PM

    @Henry Matthews:
    I agree. Quite often see victims referred to by their surname on online news forums.
    It lacks compassion although I would say it is more through laziness and poor editing.

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    Mute Henry Matthews
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    Feb 16th 2018, 5:17 PM

    @Charles Alexander: i contacted the journal about this before….I was told they follow best European journalistic standards..

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    Mute Brendan Hughes
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    Feb 16th 2018, 6:45 PM

    @Henry Matthews: It’s a generational thing. More and more the younger the person the less respect is given. Bar a few whose parents raised them right.

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    Mute Smiley
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    Feb 16th 2018, 9:24 PM

    @Henry Matthews: Bullocks to “best standards”. Are the journalists sheep?

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    Mute Bill O'Brien
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    Feb 16th 2018, 2:19 PM

    RIP

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    Mute Gordon Fitzpatrick
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    Feb 16th 2018, 5:44 PM

    “Best European journalistic standards”
    Well then we need to go back to best Irish journalistic standards. Again more
    Bull hsit from the journal and its ahem, “journalists”.

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    Mute Owen Flynn
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    Feb 16th 2018, 5:43 PM

    So sad. R.i.p. Mr Burke.

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    Mute Leo Bissett
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    Feb 16th 2018, 8:47 PM

    Deepest condolences to the family of Mr Burke. May he rest in peace.

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    Mute miked
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    Feb 16th 2018, 9:22 PM

    The only consolation is that his body was found rip Mr Burke

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    Mute Ray Farrell
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    Feb 17th 2018, 12:56 AM

    Tragic, the poor man and his family , RIP.

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    Mute Grasshopper
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    Feb 18th 2018, 9:34 AM

    Reading some of the comments i think people are rambling on with nothing to do with this article.
    R.I.P

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    Mute JJ
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    Feb 17th 2018, 12:25 AM

    So a body washed up in Wales in November and the pigs didn’t think to share this info with each other and try and establish a link. FFS Sherlock Holmes me bollix.

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