A SERVICE THAT helps homeless people ran out of basic supplies on Wednesday night after they counted a record number of people sleeping rough in Dublin city centre.
The Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) witnessed a sharp surge in the number of homeless people relying on their outreach programme, with over 158 people on the night demanding help from their services.
Highest recorded in several weeks
Working on Wednesday night, the ICHH volunteers witnessed a drastic increase in the demand for their services of providing food, drink and clothing, with figures being the highest recorded in several weeks.
The six volunteer groups, which make up the entire outreach programme, were swamped within 40 minutes of their arrival, eventually running out of the basics, with the group having to refill hot water supplies and food repeatedly throughout the night.
The shocking figure of 158 men and women was just what ICHH counted within a small proximity of their outreach routes, which encompasses a 5 mile radius of the city centre.
Reflecting on the figures, Director Anthony Flynn said they are only “scrapping the surface” in regards to the total number of homeless in Dublin.
Homeless hurricane
He said they have warned several times of the “homeless hurricane forecasted on Dublin”.
Organisations such as ourselves and other homeless charities are being stretched to the limit and cannot cope with the demand.
He went on to say that the €48 million being spent yearly by the homeless executive is having no visible results. “This black hole of homelessness needs to be addressed immediately by the Irish government,” he added.
”This figure follows the 250 people which the charity fed and clothed on just two nights last week. Although announcements of new accommodation for homeless men, women and families have been heard in papers, on the ground little has changed except for the added pressure being forced on the voluntary, non-funded services of charities like the ICHH,” said ICHH spokesperson, Aidan Bolton.
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