‘Significant increase’ in homeless deaths in Dublin



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Concern has been expressed about a “significant increase” in deaths among the homeless in Dublin.

The Dublin Regional Homeless Executive has recorded 39 to date in 2020.

That number is higher than the number of deaths in all of 2019 (34) and 2018 (35).

The leader of Aontú, Peadar Tóibín, has urged the Government to act.

“The figure to date in 2020 is 39, higher than previous years, this is especially shocking given that the year is not yet close to ending,” he said.

“Another deeply worrying trend is the significant increase in deaths registered in July and August.

“Between January and June of this year there was an average of three or four homeless deaths per month, but 10 people died in July and another eight people died in August.”

Tóibín said there are heartbreaking stories from many young people behind the numbers.

He said that the government “must take a step forward.”

“I don’t see any concrete action from the government in response to these skyrocketing statistics,” he said.

“There is something deeply tragic about the fact that the week the death rate appears to have peaked was the same week the Government voted to give Junior Ministers a raise.

“It is time for us to be clear about our priorities in this country.”

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