A homeless man was found dead on the porch of St Andrew’s Church, close to the Molly Malone statue, in Dublin.
The body of the man, who has not been identified, was discovered in the early hours of January 9 and it is understood foul play is not suspected.
Padraig Drummond, the chief executive of the Help our Homeless organisation, has worked with homeless people in Dublin for 10 years and said he was “not surprised” by the death which was the first of 2024 among the homeless community.
“It’s nothing new... the location has had numerous deaths over the years,” he said.
It has been reported that the church porch is usually locked behind steel barriers but one was open on the night the man died.
Mr Drummond highlighted the issue of emergency accommodation, saying that better housing is needed.
“They feel safer on the street, the hostel rooms have maybe six to eight people who you’ve never met before, some of whom may have addiction problems...” Mr Drummond said.
Help our Homeless is an organisation that provides outreach services in Dublin which include the provision of hot meals, clothing, sanitary products and emergency help for those who have overdosed on drugs.
Mr Drummond said the weather at this time of year is difficult for the homeless community as it leaves them vulnerable to hypothermia.
The organisation, which is going through the process of becoming a charity, has extended the hours of its service in Dublin from 2am to 7am.
Mr Drummond called for a “complete overhaul” of government services for the homeless population in Dublin.
“The emergency outreach centres close at 1am, and they [the homeless people] may not take up the help because they think they’ll be alright but the weather gets colder between three and 6am. They may well want to change their minds by that time but they’re stuck outside because the centres are closed,” he added.
