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So how did this man die? It’s reported that he died from being homeless, but that’s hardly a cause of death? If he succumbed to the elements then what elements exactly were these? It was a warm night and not the middle of January, but it’s easy to blame the fact he was homeless as the only factor at play here.
@Ballybunion: I was thinking that too. We’ve had 3 homeless people die last week. How many people with homes died?
Should we have a vigil for them.
Certainly, being homeless may have been (and probably was) a factor but we don’t know this because of the knee jerk responses by our media and bleeding hearts.
@Ballybunion: well he was convicted for knowingly passing HIV to a woman in Australia so I can’t imagine he was using his anti retroviral drugs himself and not selling them etc. That’s just a guess.
@Ballybunion: Ahh sure h was a saint when he died. The fools couldn’t praise him enough when all they had to do was ask themselves why he wasn’t rehomed? And it would be nice for the media to actually find the truth about homelessness and most of the stories behind it instead of promoting lies. E.g. how many were offered homes and refused them because they want certain areas
@White Rabbit: he wasn’t just down on his luck though was he? According to the reports he has 40 convictions in 19 yrs in Australia and three very serious ones, sexual assaults and knowingly infecting a woman with HIV.
@Michael O’Neill: we need to hear what was the cause of death in each case, I’m sure PMs were held in each case, the weather was not cold, apparently one died in a hotel room. There may have been other factors at play , we simply don’t know. Anyway, homelessness is not a disease, but stress and fear might contribute. Substance abuse could be a factor , we just don’t know.
The journal has been slow to go with this story. Often times the those on the streets have refused help from the state and NGOs. There is often drug abuse and other issues. In this country those who work with the state/NGOs (funded by the state and others) have no reason to be on the streets.
Supposedly sad cases like the man in this article are used to push for socialist model of housing in Ireland. Homeless now includes those picking and choosing where the state houses them for free who live in hotels as the taxpayers expense as they have refused everything put their way. Hotels should be a last resort where someone would be on the street not because someone doesn’t like the accommodation offered.
@Mike: Exactly. But why won’t the media give us the real stories instead of the crap they insist on feeding us. People who stay in hotels after refusing the help of a place to stay until they get back on their feet need to be charged for staying in hotels. Why should the taxpayer foot the bill. It’s not the taxpayers job to rehome all in their preferred area after all there are many taxpayers commuting hours everyday to keep these ungrateful lazybones in hotels
@Paul Flood: If by “fickle” you mean “lose the will to memorials you after it emerges you’re a convicted child sex offender, then yes I suppose we are fickle.
@Paul O Riordan: grow a pair and actually say something instead of doing equal damage to the good and the bad by not having the courage of your convictions
@Brinster: SOLUTION TO SOCIAL HOUSING PROBLEM: get a job; work hard; cancel sky sports; lose the sense of entitlement chip on your shoulder; don’t expect the state to ‘mammy’ you and they’ll you’ll be able to buy a house like the rest of us.
@Brinster: Genuine question, How many social housing units do we need to build?, 100, 500, 1,000, 5,000?, where are the serviced sites to build the houses?, how much will it cost?, how will we fund it?. what amount of rent should we set to recover the financial outlay?. I don’t want to hear about Irish Water, the Foreign Aid budget or what we are giving to immigrants, or whatever other “whataboutery” come to mind.
Like I say, genuine question
@Paul Flood: pretty smug reply Paul nothing is that cut and dried. Shit happens and not everyone is in a position to buy a house. There should be an alternative and council housing was always there for that purpose.
@Patricia Kennedy: the rent to buy scheme always seemed like a brilliant idea to me. I don’t know if they’ve scrapped it entirely or if the restrictions are so much that there’s only a tiny amount of people who can avail
@Patricia Kennedy: you’re right Patrica, it was smug. However, all the media coverage and rhetoric concentrates on the needs of the ‘everything for free’ brigade.
What about the Majorie of people who can barely afford to pay for their own house never mind a free house for someone else -particularly if that someone else doesn’t have to work and sits on their arse all day and spends their life living off the state.
Granted there are some genuine cases -and that’s what a social state should cater for – but the majority are spongers that have no intention of weaning off the state.
@Austin Rock: and may you find serenity in your relief. But I would suggest there are many other organisations that deserve your largesse -temple street children’s for example- rather than the free for all spongers on state aid.
I, for one, would prefer to see my taxes going to a more worthy cause.
@Patricia Kennedy: Most people will make their own way in the world. But in recent years it’s become quit obvious that the taxpayer is being played for a fool. There are a lot of homeless living in hotels who just want to take and who will only take what they’d like not what’s offered. If you’re offered something to help you get back on your feet and you refuse it because you only want what you want then you should be homeless not living in a hotel on my dime
@Ísla Carabine: how did you know? Have you hacked my camera phone again?
Anyway, that’s sexist, or racist or at least discriminatory in some sort of way against us of the mono-active sexually aware cohort of society. My dignity is offended. Where’s my outrage?
I shouldn’t have called you a tool btw. I suspect you are prob one of they few genuine cases but 95% are just spongers that will not make an effort to wean themselves of state handouts.
This is a prime example of why you can’t trust the media. No background information or investigations before the story is released. The media are only interested in the big headline.
This is an example of what was wrong with the whole home sweet home debacle.
This man was involved in the occupation, stayed in the building and was allegedly helping out…he was a sexual predator in a place with a lot of vulnerable people. An example why specialised services are needed for many homeless not just putting people in a unused unsuitable building
So is homelessness now acceptable if you have erred in your past? It would be nice if someone published a list of offences to explain which crimes are covered
Was he Irish or what? “Amassed 40 convictions in Australia”?? The name would be common in Australia I’m presuming they didn’t deport one of their own & he ended up here (there might be people here think that it’s irrelevant to the story but it’s a fair ask)
Isint always the same in this country. We’re all ready to extend our sympathies but are made to look really foolish by the stupid inept reporters who never get their story right.
Poor “Jack” was a criminal but hoodwinked everybody.Shame on him ok.
He took advantage of our hospitality. We need to ask more questions before we pour our heart out in future.
Nice to see the Irish version of Charity is alive and well on these pages. Only the deserving poor are entitled to help. Anybody else can die on the streets.
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