Sinn Féin Dublin South West TD Seán Crowe has expressed his deep sadness and extended condolences to the family and friends of the homeless man who died in the Emergency Department on Saturday in Tallaght University Hospital.

Teachta Seán Crowe said:

“I want to express my deep sadness and extend my condolences to the friends and family of the homeless man who died in the Emergency Department Tallaght University Hospital on Saturday.

“Unfortunately, the death of someone homeless in Dublin has become the norm rather than the unusual occurrence. Last week, another homeless man died in Galway.

“The pattern of homeless people presenting at hospitals like Tallaght has become quite common in recent times with many using the facilities to get out of the cold and rain for a few hours. Unfortunately, the hospital authorities have no real idea, figures or statistics around the amount of people that turn up to the hospital on a daily basis seeking shelter.

“We clearly need to accumulate more accurate figures around the growing number of rough sleepers across the State. We also need to use every opportunity by making use of any presentation of a homeless person to services in order to fully understand the extent of the crisis and respond in kind to their needs.”

ENDS