AN INVESTIGATION is underway after a teenage boy was found dead sleeping rough in Dublin city centre.
The teenager, believed to be a 19-year-old from west Dublin, was known to homeless services in the city centre and had been known to be sleeping on the streets and in a car for some time.
He was discovered in a vehicle in a laneway off Parnell Street by homeless service volunteers who went to check on him yesterday evening, Thursday 2 July.
Gardaí and the emergency services were notified but the male was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
The area was cordoned off to allow Gardaí to perform a forensic and technical examination.
Councillor Anthoyn Flynn, who is Co-founder and CEO of Inner City Helping Homeless, said the teenager's death was "shocking news".
"Nobody should have to sleep in a car and certainly nobody should be offered a sleeping bag instead of a bed.
"We need to overhaul our emergency accommodation system now."
We have just had it confirmed that a homeless man tragically passed away in the Dublin 1 area this afternoon.
The ICHH team are currently on site and we would like to offer our condolences to the man and his family.
Another avoidable death on our streets.
R.I.P https://t.co/0kr5V8k5E9 pic.twitter.com/oyHVIC07Qg— ICHHDUBLIN (@ICHHDUBLIN) July 2, 2020
Local Councillor Christy Burke offered his sympathies to the man's family and urged Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien to acknowledge the "uncontrollable situation" of homelessness which has erupted in Ireland.
“How many more lives have to be lost before this becomes a priority? For the past two days there have been no beds in the city for men,” he told The Irish Times.
“The homeless are being forgotten about again. It’s just horrendous to think about what this young man went through and what his family now face.”
Dublin City Council told The Irish Times they are aware of the man's sad passing and are liasing with authorities.
They stated that as of 4pm on Thursday there are 20 beds available for homeless men in the city centre.
