Our new wealth has made us less tolerant of outsiders in our society, the director of the charity for the homeless, TRUST, has said.
Ms Alice Leahy was speaking yesterday following the launch of a video documentary, A Fragile City, by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern.
She said those who became homeless were the most vulnerable of society's "outsiders".
"As we approach a new millennium, we must talk about the nature of exclusion in Ireland. Since we started in 1975, we have never been busier."
The documentary, shown on RTE television recently, focuses on four homeless people speaking about their lives. It also looks at the work of TRUST.
The charity offers a social, health and befriending service to the homeless every morning at its premises in Dublin's Bride Road. Ms Leahy said about 30 people dropped in on an average morning.
She said she was delighted by the reaction to the documentary. "We hope that by making it as widely available as possible we may be able to initiate a real debate about the outsiders in our midst."
She said the documentary was also about hope. "People can get so overwhelmed by how huge the problems are but you have to keep going. You can't give up hope."
Mr Ahern said homelessness was not just about material deprivation. "It is also about people who do not fit into society. With ever-increasing materialism, it is important that we do not lose sight of the contribution of the outsider to our community.
"Tackling homelessness should also be about making sure that outsiders have a place in society and that their contribution is valued."
