The death this week of Gyula Remef - a man who was homeless and regularly slept outside parliament’s tube entrance – comes in the same week as The Bureau of Investigative Journalism announced a year-long investigation that identified 554 homeless related deaths in the UK. This death, and many others, is a tragic reality of the surge in rough sleepers across the UK and further evidence of the urgent need for funding, research and awareness in homelessness.Â
It was just a couple of months ago that The Detail reported 148 homeless deaths in Northern Ireland between October 2017 and August 2018 – that’s 13 housing applications closed per month due to death. Northern Ireland accounts for 2.8% of the UK population yet hosts 26% of homeless related deaths. This is an alarming statistic that highlights drastic levels of inequality – something I hope keeps those in charge of the The Supporting People purse strings awake over the Christmas period and in to 2019. Â
Jim Dennison – Chief Executive, Simon Community NI