THE sister of a homeless woman who died in Belfast city centre says she is “heartbroken”.
Catherine Kenny (33) was found dead in a shop doorway at the corner of Donegall Place and Castle Lane on Saturday morning.
Police cordoned off the scene and are investigating the cause of her death, but said a crime is not suspected. She is the fifth person to die in Belfast this year who had been receiving help from homeless charities.
Members of her family were yesterday comforted by homeless volunteers as they gathered to lay flowers in the doorway where she died. Floral tributes, balloons and poignant handwritten messages have formed a shrine at the scene along central Belfast’s flagship shopping street. In a heartfelt message online, Lee-Maria Kenny Hughes thanked volunteers from Hope Outreach for the Homeless for helping her younger sister.
She wrote on Facebook: “It is with a very heavy heart but I need to take this time to thank every volunteer from Hope that has assisted in the care of my beautiful baby sister Catherine. “She was a handful and hard work but was loved dearly by you all.
“I for one can never repay you for your generosity towards her and I know in my heart she died knowing you all loved her. Heartbroken.”
Ms Kenny had two sisters and a brother, and was originally from the Model Farm area of Downpatrick. Fondly known to many as Katie, she is due to be buried later this week in the Co Down parish with her late parents.
Parish priest Fr John Murray, who will be involved in the funeral, said the young woman was prayed for at weekend Masses.
“The family all live elsewhere. Her parents are buried in Downpatrick and that is where the girl will be buried herself,” he said. “She had been out of the town for quite some time. People were asking for her name when we prayed for her at Mass.
“Obviously it’s sad when anybody dies on the street. I would like to think everybody should have a home, so it is obviously very sad.”
Rosaleen Cunliffe was a friend of Ms Kenny’s through school when they both attended St Colmcille’s Primary School and St Mary’s High School in Downpatrick.
“She was a lovely, bubbly outgoing girl and she wouldn’t have hurt anyone. She had a heart of gold and she would have helped anybody out,” Ms Cunliffe said.
The mother-of-four is chair of the St Colmcille’s parent– teacher association, and is organising a ‘shoebox appeal’ for the homeless following the tragedy.
“It won’t help Katie but it will help others in the same situation – every little helps,” she said.
The 33-year-old from Downpatrick encouraged anyone who wished to donate items to the appeal to drop them off at the primary school. Ms Kenny was found by a passerby who knew her, who realised something was wrong after seeing her sleeping bag wasn’t wrapped around her.
Charity Extern said it had worked with the young woman and had offered her emergency accommodation. Danny McQuillan, a director with Extern, described the death as a “complete tragedy”.
“Nobody should be living and certainly nobody should be dying on our streets in 2016,” he told the BBC. There are around 20 people sleeping rough each night in Belfast city centre.
