Give them shelter to save lives

THE call by the Peter Mcverry Trust for the Government to commit to housing all those sleeping rough in the capital by the end of the year must be heeded.

However, that is unlikely to be the case as Fine Gael and those who prop them up have shown little concern for those living on the streets.

The call came as two more homeless men were found dead in Dublin bringing to seven the number of people who have died while sleeping rough in Ireland in the past 12 weeks.

With temperatures due to hit -3C last night this country is a bleak place for the homeless.

This Government has been in power for almost seven years and its record on helping those without shelter has been abysmal.

It is nearly three years since the death of homeless man Jonathan Corrie on a doorstep within sight of the Dail shocked the nation.

But despite promises of action the situation has deteriorated. At the last count on November 7, a record 184 people were sleeping rough across Dublin city.

If anything, Government policies have exacerbated the issue by making more people homeless and failing to build enough houses.

Plans to open another 200 emergency beds during the winter must be brought forward.

Failure to do so will almost certainly mean three years after Mr Corrie’s death, the homeless will continue to die on Dublin’s streets.