Data from the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), obtained under FOI by Aontù leader Peadar Tóibín reveals 20 homeless people died in Dublin in the first four months of this year, including a teen under the age of 17.
In a statement Deputy Tóibín said: “These are harrowing and distressing statistics which have been provided to me by Dublin City Council. Behind each one of these statistics is an individual family and friends. The ages at death are deeply concerning and chilling that over two thirds of these deaths were of people younger than me.”
Of those one was under 17, four were in their 20s, ten were in their 30s, one was in their 50s and four were in their 60s.
Deputy Tóibín is calling on the Government to begin as a matter of urgency to record homeless deaths in other counties and local authorities. “If we don’t quantify the problem around the country we cannot get near solving it,” he said.
The latest figures from the Department of Housing show there were 12,259 people in emergency accommodation in April including 3,600 children.