A MAN who was sleeping rough outside the Four Courts in Dublin has died.
The man is the second homeless person to die in Dublin this week.
The man in his 30s was found unresponsive on the steps of the courts at around 8pm on Monday.
He was brought to the nearby Mater hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The man had been known by outreach teams and is believed to have been engaging with homelessness services since 2013.
Yesterday, a man in his 50s was found unresponsive in his tent near the grounds of Gonzaga College in Ranelagh in south Co Dublin.
Homeless charity the Peter McVerry Trust said they were 'deeply saddened by the death of two men sleeping rough in Dublin in the past couple of days.'
They called on the Government to commit to housing every person currently sleeping rough in Dublin by the end of 2018.
"At present we have just over 180 people sleeping rough in Dublin, and while that is the highest number on record, surely the Government can commit to ring-fencing 180 social housing units for our most vulnerable citizens," they said.
Earlier today, the CEO of the Peter McVerry Trust Pat Doyle spoke about the tragedy of people dying on the streets and the dangers of sleeping rough during the winter.
“Our heart goes out to them. It’s freezing out there, it’s not safe to be a rough sleeper,” he said.
Mr Doyle added that there can be issues in getting those who are sleeping rough to accept a bed in emergency accommodation, and that Housing First is the only way to tackle homelessness.
“That is why we push the Housing First model as people will sooner walk into an apartment than a hostel,” he added.
