Mags Gargan
Campaigner for the homeless Bro. Kevin Crowley has appealed to the Government to address the “appalling” problem of discarded syringes on city streets.
Bro. Kevin, who runs the Capuchin Day Centre for the homeless, said Dublin’s streets are “littered with used needles. It is an absolute disgrace and poses a danger to the public, especially to young children who may pick them up,” he said.
“I appeal to the Government to look into the seriousness of this problem and take action to ensure needle exchanges are properly supervised and offer somewhere to dispose of needles. As far as I know, needles are given out and then they move off. Where else have they to go now, but on the streets? It’s not appropriate.”
Bro. Kevin was responding to an interview given by Fr Michael Cusack this week about drug addicts using the toilets of St Joseph’s Redemptorist Church in Dundalk to inject.
Fr Cusack added that he thought it was better to give money to charities such as the Peter McVerry Trust than directly to people begging on the streets.
Fr Peter McVerry told The Irish Catholic that it was up to the individual to decide. “It’s difficult to know if someone begging is homeless or not, but if you are going to give them money it’s better to respect their dignity than to make a judgment on what it is for.”
