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

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