“There’s definitely a lot of sadness and it is devastating news today within the homeless community.”
Police attended the scene of a sudden death in Belfast city centre after a man was found in a doorway. Emergency services were called to the scene on Gresham Street in the early hours of Thursday morning, October 9.
The young man is understood to be well-known within the city’s homeless community. Independent councillor Paul McCusker, who also founded The People’s Kitchen homeless charity, said the news of his passing is “devastating” and highlights the need for further provision and support for rough sleepers in Belfast.
Speaking to Belfast Live, he said: “It is devastating news about the death of this young man on the streets of Belfast. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and close friends, and everyone who knew him. He was well known within the homeless community, and even within the sector in terms of agencies, we’re all devastated.
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“Any death is difficult to come to terms with, but particularly when someone dies on the streets in this way. There’s definitely a lot of sadness and it is devastating news today within the homeless community.”
Paul said demand for their outreach services at The People’s Kitchen are growing, and that homeless people in the city need support. He has previously called for a night shelter to address the needs of rough sleepers.
“We’ve been calling for more provision, we need more beds, we definitely need a night shelter for the city to ensure everybody has access to accommodation. When you’re indoors and there’s support staff there, you’re safer, and numbers have continued to increase on the streets,” Paul said.
“This highlights the critical need that we need a bigger response, we need more support. Every death is certainly preventable in terms of on the streets, we need to ensure the homeless get access to the appropriate level of support.
“Our numbers are increasing and it’s more challenging now to get people into accommodation. People who have multiple complex issues, they need somewhere where they can be safe at night, they need support around them.
“We did raise concerns to the Health Minister, Justice Minister, and Communities Minister and said we were worried there would be more deaths – and sadly today we got the news of this young man who has been found in a doorway.
“What does it take for our government to sit up and actually take this seriously enough? We see the devastation it causes when there isn’t enough provision and enough support for people who are homeless in Belfast.”
A spokesperson for the PSNI said: “Police attended a sudden death in the Gresham Street area of Belfast on Thursday 9th October. The death is not being treated as suspicious at this time.”
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