Amid rise in homeless people deaths, activists call for protest in Ireland’s Belfast
(Representational image) Rise in homeless deaths in Ireland
Civil society organisations gave a clarion call to people in Belfast on Saturday to protest against a sharp rise in the number of people dying on the streets of Northern Ireland’s capital.
The social activists claimed that the spiralling cost of living, along with a public health emergency like Covid, is making more vulnerable people homeless, reports The Guardian.
In recent months, an estimated 14 people have died, out of which nine were found dead on the streets, the rest in homeless accommodation.
Among the most recent fatalities include a 19-year-old woman, yet to be named, and Jade Gorman, 23, who had lived on the streets but was found dead in an apartment. Officials suspect drug overdose related deaths. In two weeks of June, six homeless men reportedly died of overdoses.
According to the government reportpublished in March, drug-related deaths in Northern Ireland have spiked from 92 a decade ago to 218 in 2020, the highest on record.
Just over half of the fatalities were men aged 25-44. Death rates were highest among people aged 25-34.
Belfast mayor Tina Black, council party group leaders and statutory agencies met on Friday to discuss the crisis.
“I’ve done homeless work for 10 years and never seen this amount of distress and tragedy,” The Guardian quoted Paul McCusker, a city councillor and founder of The People’s Kitchen, the charity organising the march, as saying.
“In one hour last Sunday, we were dealing with three overdoses and one cutting; four people slumped over bins. That’s just one hour in Belfast city centre on a Sunday evening.”
A member of the Social Democratic and Labour party (SDLP), McCusker, said that there are not enough accommodation, addiction services and mental health treatment to take care of the rising number of young homeless people.
“Most people we work with take a cocktail of drugs, which puts them at greater risk,” he said. The cost of living was having a “massive” impact on homelessness, McCusker added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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