Death of homeless woman, 30, in Cork city

HOUSING Minister Eoghan Murphy has admitted that ‘people should not be dying on the streets’.

His intervention follows the deaths this week of three people as the homeless crisis reaches unprecedented levels.

In the latest tragic incident, a young woman was found in a tent in Cork city in the early hours of Friday morning.

The 30-year-old woman was yesterday confirmed as Jennifer ‘Jenny’ Dennehy, originally of Mahon, Co. Cork.

Ms Dennehy was not, as reported, a client of the Simon Community.

She was found to be unresponsive in the early hours of Friday morning. Gardaí are awaiting the results of a post-mortem from Cork University Hospital as they prepare their investigation.

Housing Minister Mr Murphy said he will hold an emergency meeting on the crisis in Dublin’s Custom House on Friday. The emergency meeting was first called – and revealed by the Irish Mail on Sunday – by the Minister on August 12.

‘We’ve been doing intensive work and next week I will be holding an emergency summit with local authority chief executives to explore new options,’ he said.

‘The level of homelessness that we are witnessing is totally unacceptable.

‘These three separate deaths, in very different circumstances and for very different reasons are tragedies for the families involved. I want to again extend my sympathies to them.

‘It’s been a very difficult few days for the emergency homeless services and I want to thank them.

‘Some people have difficulties in their lives that require our assistance and our support, beyond simple shelter or housing needs. Sometimes, no matter what we do, it won’t be enough.

‘But people shouldn’t be dying on the streets. People deserve more dignity than that.’

Mr Murphy was speaking in the wake of the death of Jack Watson. He was found unconscious on Dublin’s Suffolk Street and was later pronounced dead at St James’s Hospital. Mr Watson, who was in his 50s, had lived in Australia for a period before returning to Ireland in recent years.

The night before, 27-year-old mother-oftwo Danielle Carroll, was found dead in the hotel room she was sharing with her two young sons, Carter, 20 months, and DJ, seven, while in emergency accommodation in Leixlip, Co. Kildare.

This week, Focus Ireland reported that 99 families, including 214 children, became homeless in Dublin during July. The charity said the new figures meant that 2,423 people were homeless in the capital.