A TD yesterday blasted the homeless crisis after it emerged a young woman sleeping rough was bedding down for the night in a tumble dryer.
Dublin Central TD Gary Gannon described the shocking revelation as “outrageous” and laid the blame squarely at the Coalition’s feet. Streetlink Homeless Support revealed how a woman in her 20s was sleeping in an industrial-sized tumble dryer outside a service station in the north of the capital.
Deputy Gannon said: “This is an appalling indictment of the failure to provide emergency accommodation that people feel safe in.” His comments come as homeless numbers reached a record 11,632 – with 3,442 of them kids.
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Posting on Facebook, Streetlink Homeless Support said: “Hang your head in shame Darragh O’Brien TD. “Our outreach team is currently dealing with a young lady who’s been living in a tumble dryer at a garage on Dublin’s northside.
“This is one of the most degrading things we’ve ever witnessed after 10 years of working in homeless services.” Cllr Noeleen Reilly said it’s extremely sad that someone should have to resort to sleeping in a drying machine in her constituency of Ballymun.
Cllr Reilly said situations like this should not be allowed to happen. She added: “That anyone would think that a tumble dryer as they feel safer than emergency accommodation is a really sad indictment on the State.
"It beggars belief as it sounds so unrealistic.” It’s understood the Dublin Region Homeless Executive has since been in contact with the female.
The official homeless tally – a record high for the fifth month in a row – excludes rough sleepers, women in refuges, people who are ‘couch surfing’. And those who are turned away from emergency accommodation when there is no space.
CEO of Dublin Simon Community, Catherine Kenny, said having a home is a matter of life and death. Ms Kenny added: “In our capital city alone at least 2,700 households became homeless for the first time in 2022.
“That’s 52 households per week, or seven households per day who lost the roof over their heads. This equates to five single adults and two families becoming homeless every day in 2022.
“Time and time again, we have seen that having a home is a matter of life and death.”
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