Homeless charity CEO says there’s ‘fear’ more people will die on streets this winter

Anthony Walsh, the founder and CEO of Feed Our Homeless in Finglas, said that members of the homeless community are fearing for their lives as temperatures plummet.

The Dubliner explained that he was homeless and “battled addiction” for years before turning his life around.

However, he has never seen the homelessness crisis as bad as it is now.

Speaking to Newstalk, Mr Walsh said: “It’s gotten worse. It hasn’t gotten better. When I was in the hostels, they weren’t as bad.

“There’s a lot of drugs in the hostels, there’s a lot of bullying, intimidation, people’s belongings being stolen, but back when I was homeless, it wasn’t that bad.”

Next month, 240 beds are due to become permanently available for homeless people in Dublin, while a further 40 beds will be introduced during extreme weather events.

However, Mr Walsh is concerned that some people living on the streets won’t be alive by then.

“I’m calling on the Housing Minister and Dublin City Council to bring forward these cold winter beds to ensure that anyone who wants a bed at night can get a bed, can get access to a bed, can get into a hostel, out off the street and out of the cold,” he said.

“A few weeks down the line is too late.

“With the weather getting cold and the temperatures dropping at night, the fear is, amongst the homeless community and amongst the outreach workers, is that we’re going to see more deaths.”

One man said that emergency accommodation in the capital has been “very up and down” lately.

“I’m homeless the last 3 or 4 months. I’ve been homeless on and off over the years. I suffer from PTSD,” he explained.

He said that he’d like to see “more housing for people - just something small with small little rooms. Nothing fancy. You could close your door, close your curtain, put on the heating, and put on the kettle if you want to.”

The man added that he’s worried the cold weather will “change a lot of things” for rough sleepers.

“When you’re walking around, you’re freezing cold and trying to stay in but when you go back out in the cold, you’re getting wet. And you get sick as well.”