And you think you folks have it bad

bodhrandude

Heard this on the radio today and was deeply saddened, yet its a hard job trying to find this story in the online Irish newspapers, a small news headline tucked in beneath the big budget headlines. A homeless Latvian froze to death in Dublin last night and sadly he doesnt seem to even have a name, his worse Xmas ever.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1206/dublin.html

Potential-Monke

I have a reply worthy of AH, but i shall decline...

phasers

There's really no way to reply to these guilt trip threads, is there?


RIP.

jam_mac_jam

Its fairly sad alright.

wolf moon

Sure it's After Hours, we can relax, grab a cup of tea and discuss death of this poor guy.

bodhrandude

phasers wrote: »

There's really no way to reply to these guilt trip threads, is there?


RIP.

Sorry man its just a fact of life, sometimes you need a reality bite in amongst the jollyness.

mackg

The death of a homeless man in Dublin city centre is being blamed on last night's cold weather by local representatives.
The body, believed to be a man in his 40s, was discovered in the garden area of Dominick Street flats this morning.
Local Independent Councillor Christy Burke said the man was one of three men who had been living there with sleeping bags and cardboard boxes for a number of months.
"Every year someone dies of hypothermia in Dublin city," Cllr Burke said.

fur ma peepz n fones

Superbus

I don't think I have it bad.

PK2008

bodhrandude wrote: »

Sorry man its just a fact of life, sometimes you need a reality bite in amongst the jollyness.

Thank god we have you to bring us all back down to earth OP..........

http://files.sharenator.com/buzz_killington_191x300_So_troll-s191x300-152037-535.jpg

bodhrandude

PK2008 wrote: »

Thank god we have you to bring us all back down to earth OP..........

http://files.sharenator.com/buzz_killington_191x300_So_troll-s191x300-152037-535.jpg

Ah well the (man feeds kitten to Burmese Python) thread was feeling a little lonely, so I created a companion thread so it wouldnt feel too out of place.

Guill

And you think you folks have it bad.

No, I do not. Thanks for your opinion though.

mikom

bodhrandude wrote: »

Sorry man its just a fact of life, sometimes you need a reality bite in amongst the jollyness.

True dat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCSBoOcGFFE

Robdude

They should make sleeping outside illegal so that people won't freeze.

Logical Fallacy

bodhrandude wrote: »

Heard this on the radio today and was deeply saddened, yet its a hard job trying to find this story in the online Irish newspapers, a small news headline tucked in beneath the big budget headlines. A homeless Latvian froze to death in Dublin last night and sadly he doesnt seem to even have a name, his worse Xmas ever.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1206/dublin.html

There is a thread over in the Photography forum, one of the guys who lives near where he died got some quite impactful photos.

Pepe LeFrits

Very sad.

(how do you know he was Latvian?)

Enoughisenoug

bodhrandude wrote: »

Heard this on the radio today and was deeply saddened, yet its a hard job trying to find this story in the online Irish newspapers, a small news headline tucked in beneath the big budget headlines. A homeless Latvian froze to death in Dublin last night and sadly he doesnt seem to even have a name, his worse Xmas ever.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1206/dublin.html

The country is bankrupt if people had any sence they would not pay there mortgages save the money and put it into stg or dollar as the euro will collapse also they can't put everybody out of there home I'm serious enough is enough! Take a stand were been bled dry

foxinsox

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

There is a thread over in the Photography forum, one of the guys who lives near where he died got some quite impactful photos.

I just looked at that thread, I'm not sure if I should add link..


RIP

Poor fella, so sad.

bodhrandude

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

Very sad.

(how do you know he was Latvian?)

It was on the radio that they said he was Latvian, Irish Times too.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/1206/breaking34.html

s14driftking

meh my opionon for what its worth if he couldn afford to get acccomdation here he should of moved home.
RIP

Namlub

s14driftking wrote: »

meh my opionon for what its worth if he couldn afford to get acccomdation here he should of moved home.
RIP

If he couldn't afford accommodation he probably couldn't afford to move home tbf

s14driftking

Namlub wrote: »

If he couldn't afford accommodation he probably couldn't afford to move home tbf

Im sure the social would have provided him with a one way ticket

lastlaugh

At least he didn't suffer I suppose...

saa

s14driftking wrote: »

meh my opionon for what its worth if he couldn afford to get acccomdation here he should of moved home.
RIP

And be homeless there? Well for whatever reason I'm pretty sure he didn't plan this or become homeless with cash in the bank.
Some people don't have families they are in contact with to bail them out the government is so stretched dealing with the issue if you're on the streets that's it.

hondasam

bodhrandude wrote: »

Heard this on the radio today and was deeply saddened, yet its a hard job trying to find this story in the online Irish newspapers, a small news headline tucked in beneath the big budget headlines. A homeless Latvian froze to death in Dublin last night and sadly he doesnt seem to even have a name, his worse Xmas ever.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1206/dublin.html

I would say it is all right, he died. RIP

Has a post mortem confirmed he died from the cold, was he ill?

Carlow52

bodhrandude wrote: »

Heard this on the radio today and was deeply saddened, yet its a hard job trying to find this story in the online Irish newspapers, a small news headline tucked in beneath the big budget headlines. A homeless Latvian froze to death in Dublin last night and sadly he doesnt seem to even have a name, his worse Xmas ever.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/1206/dublin.html

Source please?

Remmy

That's terrible. Its easy to dismiss the weather when you only need to leave the house/office and venture outside for 30 mins at a time but It is no joke.

bodhrandude

hondasam wrote: »

I would say it is all right, he died. RIP

Has a post mortem confirmed he died from the cold, was he ill?

I dont know its a very brief report but I gotta admit that was the coldest night I felt anyway since Jan and February, was walking about the house with two quilts wrapped around me. Yeh I reckon the cold killed him, perhaps he was an alcoholic and the cold caught him unawares.

starbelgrade

bodhrandude wrote: »

Heard this on the radio today and was deeply saddened, yet its a hard job trying to find this story in the online Irish newspapers, a small news headline tucked in beneath the big budget headlines. A homeless Latvian froze to death in Dublin last night and sadly he doesnt seem to even have a name, his worse Xmas ever.

:rolleyes:

Terry

Homeless man dies in Dublin.

Does it really matter what nationality he was?

Brief interlude. Whatever that show is that's on RTÉ 1 at the moment just became awesome because they played the Star Trek fight music. I wasn't really watching, but the music got my attention.


Back to the homeless dude dying.
This happens on a daily basis in cities and towns around the country.
I don't see what makes the death of this <insert any other nationality here/> person any different.

It's virtually impossible to be homeless in this country unless you're a chronic alcoholic or drug addict, and are unwilling to pay rent in a council house.

All you have to do is spend a few weeks in a homeless shelter, and then you will be given a house.

I'd claim to have solved this problem, but it's not actually a problem. It's a self inflicted situation.

bodhrandude

Carlow52 wrote: »

Source please?

I have no source or link for the term his worse Xmas Ever, just think about it. If you die its a worse case scenario.

Namlub

Nothing worse than waking up dead on Christmas morning

Remmy

Namlub wrote: »

Nothing worse than waking up dead on Christmas morning

Happens you often does it?

Doc Ruby

s14driftking wrote: »

Im sure the social would have provided him with a one way ticket

Yeah, the procedure is that people from other countries, even EU countries, are offered a plane ticket home in that situation. That's the facts of the matter as far as I know. Still it does serve a valuable purpose in that it brings home that exposure is a bitch, respect it.

Dudess

s14driftking wrote: »

Namlub wrote: »

If he couldn't afford accommodation he probably couldn't afford to move home tbf

Im sure the social would have provided him with a one way ticket

Why post RIP when you couldn't give a ****?

Einhard

Hey, might be a dumb question, but do homeless people get the dole?

Logical Fallacy

Einhard wrote: »

Hey, might be a dumb question, but do homeless people get the dole?

Nope, you need to be able to provide an address.

saywhatyousee

Terry wrote: »

All you have to do is spend a few weeks in a homeless shelter, and then you will be given a house.

This is 100% not true there used to be loads of homeless people sleeping in parks beside my parents home house.In the local homeless shelter there is only 12 beds and if the beds were full tough luck.Also you cant claim social welfare while living in a homeless shelter you need a address.If your a single male there is more of a chance of hell freezing over than you getting a council house.

Einhard

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

Nope, you need to be able to provide an address.

That's ridiculous. How hard would it be to set u some kind of holding address for homeless folk in a certain area, issue them with id cards, and just give them social welfare? It would solve the issue of homelessness and people dying on the streets, and wouldn't cost all that much.

hondasam

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

Nope, you need to be able to provide an address.

Can they not use a hostel as an address?

Logical Fallacy

Einhard wrote: »

That's ridiculous. How hard would it be to set u some kind of holding address for homeless folk in a certain area, issue them with id cards, and just give them social welfare? It would solve the issue of homelessness and people dying on the streets, and wouldn't cost all that much.

People generally have no desire to help or feel pity for the homeless, look at many of the replies in this thread.

Lets be honest, beyond the odd RIP spouted out here people will do very little to actually help.

And if you expect the government to go out of their way to help someone, let alone via The Social Welfare i can only assume that you have been lucky and have never had to draw the dole.

hondasam wrote: »

Can they not use a hostel as an address?

Nope, a hostel is not a residence, they cannot get bills in their name at a hostel, and hostel mostly work on a first come first served basis. If you show up and there are no more beds you are turned away...it's not as if they can live their permanently.

Einhard

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

People generally have no desire to help or feel pity for the homeless, look at many of the replies in this thread.

Lets be honest, beyond the odd RIP spouted out here people will do very little to actually help.

And if you expect the government to go out of their way to help someone, let alone via The Social Welfare i can only assume that you have been lucky and have never had to draw the dole.

Ummm, the government is spending €20 billion a year to help people through social welfare. I was actually on social welfare and was surprised at how easy it was to get approved, draw down, and how generous it was relative to my needs. That's a different thread though!

Surely paying the homless social welfare would actually save money relative to the amount the government spends on homless shelters, intervention strategies, emergency housing and all the other ancillary costs relating to it?

Logical Fallacy

Einhard wrote: »

Surely paying the homless social welfare would actually save money relative to the amount the government spends on homless shelters, intervention strategies, emergency housing and all the other ancillary costs relating to it?

How much does the government spend on Homeless shelters etc ?

hondasam

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

Nope, a hostel is not a residence, they cannot get bills in their name at a hostel, and hostel mostly work on a first come first served basis. If you show up and there are no more beds you are turned away...it's not as if they can live their permanently.

That's not fair is it, can they not get any money at all then?
It's not as if they are telling a lie about being homeless.

Logical Fallacy

hondasam wrote: »

That's not fair is it, can they not get any money at all then?
It's not as if they are telling a lie about being homeless.

No, they cannot get any money.

At all.

Einhard

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

How much does the government spend on Homeless shelters etc ?

*does a quick check"

squillions

so i'm right

:cool:

westendgirlie

It's situations like this that make me put my own problems into perspective.

It's not just junkies and alcoholics that live on the streets. Sadly, abused children afraid in their own homes also end up homeless. The dregs of society prey on them and lure them into prostitution and drugs. when they are no longer needed, they are thrown back to the pavement.

Next time you walk by someone sitting in a doorway, think for a second before you judge. And if you believe that if you hand them money it will go on drugs or alcohol then hand them a hot cup of tea instead.

amacachi

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

No, they cannot get any money.

At all.

Community Welfare Officer or whatever it's called in the HSE can't approve money on a needs basis? A few around here are going to have to be sacked if so.

Logical Fallacy

amacachi wrote: »

Community Welfare Officer or whatever it's called in the HSE can't approve money on a needs basis? A few around here are going to have to be sacked if so.

As far as i am aware, nope. Any money approved by the CWO is really just a load from the SW and will be paid back when whatever applicable SW payment is finally approved.

bodhrandude

I was on the dole for a while in Scotland and was crashing on friends couches at various places in glasgow. I was able to claim a payment with no fixed abode, you have to go to the welfare every day but at least they pay the homeless. I knew a few folk about 10 years ago who stayed at the Stella Morris Hostel (now defunct) in Salthill, Galway and they were able to claim welfare and use the hostel as an fixed abode, perhaps this is still possible in some cases.

amacachi

Logical Fallacy wrote: »

As far as i am aware, nope. Any money approved by the CWO is really just a load from the SW and will be paid back when whatever applicable SW payment is finally approved.

Like I said, a few around here will have to be sacked.
I agree it's a ridiculous system where those at the very bottom have far harder rings to jump through but I've seen with people close to me that the HSE ("The Dispensary") throws a lot of discretionary money around. Maybe not so much the last couple of years obviously.

Logical Fallacy

amacachi wrote: »

Like I said, a few around here will have to be sacked.
I agree it's a ridiculous system where those at the very bottom have far harder rings to jump through but I've seen with people close to me that the HSE ("The Dispensary") throws a lot of discretionary money around. Maybe not so much the last couple of years obviously.

No, that's a good thing if it is the case, as i said, I can only go off what i know, and my last experience would be maybe 6, 7 years ago so things may have changed in that time.