HOMELESS FOR 68 DAYS
...AND COUNTING. That’s how long Bray man Tommy Donnelly has been living in a tent outside the Bray Municipal District offices. Now Tommy is asking: How long do I have to sleep rough before the council will step in to help?
A number of events are being held in support of Bray man Tommy Donnelly, who remains living in a tent outside the offices of Bray Municipal District after 68 days of homelessness.
A picnic was held in the civic plaza last Friday to show support for his plight, while a protest march is scheduled to take place this coming Friday.
Mr Donnelly along with Jay Bissett had been residents of the now-closed Brighton Terrace shelter and occupied the Bray Municipal District offices for a five-day period early in May to highlight their homeless plight, before ultimately setting up camp in the civic plaza.
Mr Bissett has since been provided with temporary emergency accommodation in the Ashford area.
After Brighton Terrace shelter closed, Tommy went to a Simon Community facility and was evicted over a dispute involving visitors. Jay was not re-housed.
At the time, the council said that everyone who engaged with them was provided with accommodation. Wicklow County Council has declined to elaborate on a statement previously issued, which read: ‘Wicklow County Council and Simon Support workers are continuing to offer advice and support to the two men involved to source private rented accommodation.’
‘ The homeless officer won’t talk to me,’ said Tommy yesterday (Tuesday). ‘ They keep reporting to the newspapers that they’re engaging with me. Nobody has spoken to me. The only person talking to me is my care worker in the Simon Community.’
He said that he has been going for viewings without success so far.
‘In the meantime I’d like emergency accommodation. I’m feeling physically drained and in pain,’ said Tommy, who has curvature of the spine.
‘I’ve nowhere else to go,’ he said.
Tommy said that in his most recent accommodation he had permission to have his girlfriend and children visit.
‘I brought my girlfriend in. They tried to say she stayed overnight, she didn’t. They threw me out with no notice, no warning, no nothing. They said I made myself homeless by bringing her into the house.’
Tommy is currently seeking legal advice but said that the picnic held last Friday to highlight his plight was a big success and gave him great comfort.
‘It was brilliant. I was shocked. I’d have been happy if just 10 people were there, but there were about 50. The support I’m getting from the public is amazing.’
A protest march from SuperValu on Castle Street to the Muncipal District offices will take place this Friday, July 8, starting at 12.30 p.m.