A homeless charity has warned that the situation on the city’s streets is “only getting worse each week” after sharing an image of a five-year-old boy eating his dinner on a sheet of cardboard.
The Homeless Street Café said the picture was taken in the city centre last night.
It said the child is in emergency accommodation and attends school.
It said his mother accesses the charity’s services to ensure he has access to nutritious home-cooked meals, noting “most emergency accommodations strictly forbid cooking or food preparation.”
In a post on Facebook, a volunteer with the charity said: “We are home after another incredibly busy night.”
“I’m exhausted, weary and emotional and should (guiltily) go to bed but there is an image burnt in all the teams’ minds tonight.
“It’s wrong and it’s distressing but this is happening and it’s only getting worse each week.”
“’Sam’ is five and this was him eating a dinner of carbonara tonight on a sheet of cardboard.
“Can we really accept this?”
According to the latest figures from the Department of Housing, there are now 10,338 people accessing State emergency accommodation.
That includes 3,848 children.
