Seven Dead In 12 Weeks

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A man who had been known to homeless services was discovered unresponsive in the area around the Four Courts on Monday evening

“The latest two deaths in Dublin bring to 7 the number of people sleeping rough that have died in the past 12 weeks, said the Peter McVerry Trust,

“We calling on the Government to commit to housing every person currently sleeping rough in Dublin by the end of next year.”

The charity said there are currently just over 180 people sleeping rough on the streets of Dublin and called on the Government to “commit to ring-fencing 180 social housing units for our most vulnerable citizens.”

Charity “deeply saddened” following second homeless death in Dublin (Newstalk)

Last night: Another Death

Rollingnews

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37 thoughts on “Seven Dead In 12 Weeks

  1. dav

    It appears to be the only “solution” to the homelessness crisis that the blushirts can come up with. It probably appeals to their leaders’ hatred of the poor…

  2. Bort

    Obviously sleeping rough has sever consequences on your health but what are the causes of death? Exposure? Pnuemonia?
    Is there people dying regularly in hostels or homeless shelters?

    1. Fact Checker

      Yes.

      Regular users of hostels are on average in comparatively poor physical and psychological health. So their mortality is a lot higher than the rest of the population. You see estimates of mortality rates anything from double to five times normal rates.

      For whatever reason the media always reports the death of rough sleepers but never those in hostels.

      1. Paddy at the Howth Summit

        You become homeless because generally you cannot cope or hope. E.g., you become homeless because you’re an addict or alcoholic; not the other way around.

    2. rotide

      I’m not sure any of the deaths were caused by Exposure.

      If they were it would be front and centre news. I’d guess that Drugs would amount to a lot of them.

  3. Fact Checker

    These cases are of course very sad.

    But they are being used to make a point about policy. And if you want to talk about policy you need to look at evidence.

    Can anyone tell me of a large, western city that has eliminated rough sleeping permanently?

      1. Fact Checker

        I am not convinced. This report (http://housingfirsteurope.eu/assets/files/2017/02/Homeless_in_Finland_Statistics_2016.pdf) does not give a breakdown for rough sleepers, conflating them with those in hostels: “The number of people who lived outdoors, in stairwells, in emergency shelters or similar was 430.”

        Census 2016 showed 123 actual rough sleepers in Ireland and 778 in temporary emergency accommodation (aka hostels).

        In proportional terms Finland has a rate of rough sleeping&hostel use about half that of Ireland’s.

        Finland is clearly doing something better than Ireland, but it has not eliminated the problem either.

    1. ahjayzis

      …What?

      “You want to talk about poor cancer survival rates and instances of diagnoses?
      That’s fine.
      But first tell me a country where there is 100% survival rate and all diagnoses are made in a timely manner. ”

      Seriously, change your name.

    2. ahjayzis

      Your house is on fire and it’s spreading – but before we seek to douse the flames, can you show me a completely 100% fire-proof house containing no combustible materials of any sort? You can’t? Then what’s wrong with your house burning down?

    3. realPolithicks

      “Can anyone tell me of a large, western city that has eliminated rough sleeping permanently?”

      So because it hasn’t been done yet, nobody should try to do it? That’s the kind of thinking that prevents any real efforts to resolve this issue.

  4. Junkface

    Very sad news, such a horrible death for those poor people. Nowhere has eliminated homelessness, but its looking very bad for Ireland at the moment. When the winter cold, damp and winds set in, its only a matter of time before they die. I don’t think the Gov’t are moving fast enough to build new homes and shelters

    1. Col

      I don’t think we’re aiming to eliminate it. But it would be nice to stop it continually getting worse at least.

    2. rotide

      While it’s obviously tragic that people have to die on the street, it’s not the cold and damp thats killing them.

  5. Paddy at the Howth Summit

    Do homeless people cycle? Their chances of survival in this weather are low. A coalition of the powerless needs to get together. #justsayin

  6. Charger Salmons

    The reality is that many people who sleep rough prefer not to use hostels that are available because of the strict drugs/alcohol rules in place.
    I find it hard to believe that in a modern,compassionate society there are insufficient place available through government or charitable agencies to force these people to sleep rough.
    A far bigger problem is homelessness in general caused by the lack of provision for affordable public housing.
    And with a population growth of around 50,000 per year,much of it caused by increased levels of immigration,the problem will get worse.
    One of the main reasons for the Brexit Leave vote in the UK is the pressure put on the housing,education and health infrastructure,often in poorer areas,by uncontrolled immigration.
    Without knowing how many immigrants will arrive in coming years it’s difficult for local authorities to plan and finance future infrastructure.
    Put bluntly people see waiting lists for council houses and GP appointments steadily growing longer.
    The same is happening in Ireland – economic migrants from places such as Nigeria and recent East European EU member countries are being housed in temporary accommodation at huge cost to local councils.
    In my own area I hear increased grumbling from Irish people about not being able to get a place for their own children in local schools while clearly observing recently-arrived immigrants being given places.
    These are questions many countries in Europe are being forced to ask now despite the inevitable dog-whistle claims of racism that will accompany them.

      1. Fact Checker

        “And with a population growth of around 50,000 per year,much of it caused by increased levels of immigration,the problem will get worse.”

        This is just not true.

        In the last ten years the population of Ireland has increased by 416,700, or 9.5%.

        According to the CSO, a whopping 400 of this increase is down to net migration. Less than one in a thousand. The rest is due to natural increase.

        The NATURAL increase is down to a few things:
        -high birth rate
        -much improved life expectancy
        -kids born in the last baby boom (1979-1984) are having their own kids now

        1. Killian G

          We don’t really bother correcting Charger anymore. He’s been exposed as a know-nothing bullpooper.

  7. Charger Salmons

    From the CSO

    ” Of the three factors that determine population change
    (births, deaths and net migration), from an Irish
    perspective net migration is by far the most influential,
    volatile and uncertain. ”

    http://www.cso.ie/en/media/csoie/releasespublications/documents/population/2017/Chapter_1_Population_change_and_historical_perspective.pdf

    James Hegarty, a statistician with the CSO, said “Of the 84,600 people who immigrated to Ireland in the year to April 2017, some 27,400 (32.4pc) of these were estimated to be Irish nationals,”

    So 68% of the 84,600 who immigrated into Ireland in the last year were non-nationals.

    1. Fact Checker

      Yes, and non-Irish nationals leave as well.

      Of the 64,800 people who left Ireland in the year to April 2017 a full 34,000 were non-Irish nationals, 52%.

  8. Charger Salmons

    Or to put it another way a city the size of Waterford made up entirely of non-nationals arrives in Ireland each year.

    Are we building a city the size of Waterford with sufficient hospital beds,GP surgeries,schools etc every year ?

    1. Papi

      See, you might have gotten some kind of a hearing if you hadn’t exposed yourself previously as a racist, ignorant fool of a man. Cant have it both ways.

  9. b

    “In relation to the man who died in Ranelagh, the DRHE said he had been accessing homeless services since 2010 and was placed in emergency accommodation – including temporary supported accommodation – on a number of occasions.
    “Outreach teams had engaged with him on many occasions to access accommodation and relevant supports,” the spokesperson said.
    Unfortunately support services were unable to progress this man to a more permanent housing solution after he left his last placement. The last known contact with homeless services seeking emergency accommodation occurred on 21 st November when he was provided with emergency accommodation.

    In relation to the Lithuanian man who died, the DRHE said that he was accessing homeless services since 2013 and was placed in emergency accommodation including temporary supported accommodation on a number of occasions.
    “Outreach teams had engaged with him to access accommodation and relevant supports,” the spokesperson said.
    Around the time of his passing this man was in supported emergency accommodation where the Harm Reduction Team was actively engaging with him.”

    These stories should give clues on how to solve the ‘homeless’ crises, say FG hates the poor isn’t anyway helpful and that trope is actually counter productive as it gets people further from a solution.

  10. eric cartman

    house the ones not on drugs or drink and leave the rest.
    (so in reality we need 0 emergency housing units)

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