‘SAFER ON STREETS THAN IN A HOSTEL’

DESPITE his declining health, Jerry Wall, who’s in his 50s, and his faithful dog Sally have been living in a tent off the Alfie Byrne Road in north Dublin for more than a year.

Well out of sight from pedestrians, the Darndale father-of-two has made his small patch of land as comfortable and homelike as possible. Nestled against several trees and bushes, Mr Wall’s tent opens up to a gazebo which provides additional shelter for his basic essentials.

A metal oil drum full of burning logs crackles against the backdrop of a battery-powered radio as the hardened Dubliner begins to speak about his heartbreaking situation. ‘I was living in a bedsit flat for about 13 years, but when the banks took the place over, I was handed an eviction letter,’ he said.

‘I’ve been homeless now for about four years, but there’s no way in the world I would go to a hostel.

‘I don’t like them at all because it can be very dangerous sharing a room with drug addicts. My health is not the best either, but I’m well enough to stick up for myself.

‘I also feel much safer here during this pandemic than I would in a cramped environment with dozens of other people around.’

Mr Wall, who suffers from chronic respiratory problems, is also recovering from tuberculosis, a disease which once killed hundreds of people a year in Ireland.

‘I was diagnosed with TB two years ago and put on medication for nine months, but my lungs are still scarred, and I find it very difficult to walk even a short distance,’ he said.

‘If I contracted Covid-19, I wouldn’t stand a chance, which is why I’m happy to be away from everyone.’