A YOUNG woman has been found dead in homeless services accommodation in Dublin.
The woman, who has not been named, is believed to be the fifth homeless person to die in Dublin in less than a week.
On Tuesday, 21 July, two women were found dead within hours of each other at a homeless centre in Finglas, and one Friday a man in his 30's was found dead on the streets of Dublin city centre.
Another woman had been reported dead in the same female emergency accommodation centre earlier in the week.
The woman who died last night and who has not been named is understood to have been staying in a separate emergency accommodation unit, according to Councillor Anthony Flynn, who is also the CEO of Dublin homeless service Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH).
Cllr Flynn broke the tragic news on Twitter yesterday evening, where he wrote:
"A young [woman] has been found dead in Dublin Homeless services accommodation it has been confirmed this evening.
"This brings the number of confirmed deaths within homeless services to FIVE this week."
He urged the new Lord Mayor of Dubin, Hazel Chu, to re-enact the Homeless Forum "as a matter of urgency".
Cllr Flynn also stated yesterday that the ICHH had received two further reports that a homeless individual had died, including an 18-year-old, but were awaiting official confirmation on those reports.
Speaking on Friday after the death of a man on Dorset Street in the city centre, Cllr Flynn told Dublin Live that the rise in the number of deaths is "a stain on the homeless services".
"Obviously any deaths within the homeless services is tragic, but what we are seeing is an increase in the number of people who have passed away in the homeless services.
"This is just another example of how the mental health supports aren't in place for the people who are suffering.
"We have called on the Housing Minister over the last number of days to ensure we have the appropriate mental health support services for every individual that enters the homeless services.
"That’s just not happening. It’s not happening on the ground."
Lord Mayor of Dublin, Hazel Chu, promised "immediate solutions" following the news of the woman's passing.
With the fifth homeless death in our city my thoughts & prayers are with families & friends of those who have passed.
As promised homeless & housing will be one of my 3 priorities & I'll be setting up a task force to work with council & cllrs to achieve some immediate solutions.— Hazel Chu (@hazechu) July 26, 2020
She wrote on Twitter: "With the fifth homeless death in our city my thoughts & prayers are with families & friends of those who have passed.
"As promised homeless & housing will be one of my 3 priorities and I'll be setting p a task force to work with council & [councillors] to achieve some immediate solutions"
