Another rough sleeper dead on streets

Victim ‘turned away by services’

A HOMELESS woman was found dead on a city street – exactly seven years after her aunt died in the same doorway.

The victim, 44, was found at 8am yesterday on Oliver Plunkett Street Lower in Cork city.

Campaigners claimed she had been turned away from homeless services twice in the early hours and had pleaded with staff: “I’m afraid I’ll die on the streets.”

It was the third death of a rough sleeper within the past week – two men have also died in Dublin.

Christina Chalmers of Helping Cork Homeless outlined the woman’s final, heartbreaking hours yesterday.

She said: “I knew her. She was very unwell, she was sick.

“She tried to get into a shelter on Tuesday night on two occasions. She had

a room in the shelter and she told the staff, ‘I’m afraid I’ll die on the streets’.

“Her own aunt died seven years ago, in the very same doorway.

“She tried coming back later on at about 3am and she was turned away again.

“We’ll wait for the autopsy but she was definitely suffering from pleurisy or pneumonia.

“She had a bed in a hostel there... it’s quite possible her bed was taken by someone else or there may have been another reason why she was turned away.” It is understood she had been using homeless services for several years.

Her body was found just hours before Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy launched two Focus Ireland reports – Keeping A Home and Finding A Home.

The charity said its case management services had prevented 240 families from losing their home and becoming homeless in the first 10 months of this year.

But campaigners claim 80 people every night are

INNER CITY HELPING HOMELESS

homeless in Cork city – with another 180 to 190 in Dublin.

Inner City Helping Homeless chief Anthony Flynn said: “Yet another person with a name, a family and a story that died alone on the streets of our country.

“This cannot be allowed to continue, how many more human beings have to die before the Government call a National Homeless Emergency?

“We have continuously warned that we would have more deaths on the streets if immediate emergency action isn’t taken. With snow due later this week we fear this isn’t the last death we will see before Christmas.

“ICHH would like to offer our sincere condolences to the deceased lady and her family and friends.”

The Simon Community in Cork could not comment on the claims at this time.

Yet another person with a name, a family and a story that died alone on the streets ANTHONY FLYNN