Gardaí have denied moving homeless people from outside the GPO in Dublin ahead of the St Patrick's Day festival.
Inner City Helping Homeless co-director Anthony Flynn said gardaí have been moving homeless people who attempt to stay outside the GPO in recent days.
“If you head up to the GPO this evening there will be no homeless people there but probably several guards making sure any homeless person trying to be there is moved out of sight,” he said.
Mr Flynn said four gardaí have been on duty outside the GPO ahead of the St Patrick’s Day, Easter and 1916 centenary celebrations.
A Garda spokesman denied homeless people were being moved by gardaí.
“Gardaí from Store Street Garda station regularly engage/interact with persons from the homeless community in the course of their duty.
"It is not the policy of An Garda Síochána to move on homeless people in the area of GPO.
"Gardaí on patrol are often the first to engage with homeless people and offer assistance where they can, including referring individuals to Dublin City Council (DCC) and other organisations working . . . in the area of homelessness.
“We are conscious of the needs of the homeless people and are accompanied on occasions by outreach workers who provide services during the process.
“Our objective is always to get people to engage with homeless and support services.”
Rebuttal
Mr Flynn said gardaí are not directing homeless people to services but telling them to move.
“It is clearly evident that homeless people were moved by gardaí so I don’t know why they are denying it,” he said.
He said homeless people are forced to bed down outside the GPO because it is relatively safe compared to other areas and because emergency accommodation is oversubscribed.
“Homeless services are oversubscribed as it is; Merchants Quay is overflowing and Brú na hAimsire is full.
“Homeless people are being pushed out of view for the sake of tourism and how we look to foreign visitors.
“ We have a chronic rough sleeper problem in central Dublin and the answer is not to move the problem on, but to actually address the issue head on.
“Central government cannot keep trying to disguise the issue,” he said.