A PHOTO of an elderly homeless woman eating dinner on a windowsill in Dublin has emerged., sparking a furious response online.
The snap was posted to Facebook by The Homeless Street Cafe, a charity based in the Irish capital who look to help and support rough sleepers around the country.
It shows an elderly woman in a trench-coat eating a meal from a plastic bowl, as the charity admit their work is nothing but "a plaster on what is just a horrific wound".
The charity say they've seen the woman at the same spot every week, and say they're "heartbroken" to watch her spend her 'golden years' in this way.
"Tonight was essentially a “successful” night for us," they wrote in a post on Facebook.
"We had food for everyone, lots of clothes and toiletries and even treats for most people. Our volunteers looked after our service users and our cooks and bakers outdid themselves.
Tonight was essentially a “successful” night for us. We had food for everyone, lots of clothes and toiletries and even...
Posted by The Homeless Street Cafe on Tuesday, January 14, 2020
"But even on your best night it’s nothing but a plaster or a bandaid on what is just a horrific wound.
This issue is beyond crisis.
"People always want to talk to us about the children we meet and how sad that is. If I’m honest I find the older generation that use our service even more heartbreaking. It seems there is no time left for change for them, a dearth of hope really. To be living in food or heat poverty at their age, relying on a soup kitchen for necessities is horrifying to witness.
"I watch this woman eat her meal from a plastic bowl on a window sill every week and I despair that this is her ‘golden years’.
"Tonight as we thought we’d had a successful night and packed up for home, word reaches us that another homeless person has died on our streets. God love this poor man, perished while forgotten to this horrendous crisis. The indignity of it all. We are all saddened but unfortunately not surprised."
The photo emerged less than 24 hours after it was reported that a homeless man was left critically injured after Dublin City Council removed his tent from the side of a canal walk way, using an industrial machine with a claw, with the man still inside.
