Tributes have been paid to a woman who had been rough sleeping in tent in Dublin who was found dead on Friday afternoon.
The woman, named locally as Natasha Smith, originally from Clondalkin, Dublin, was found on Pearse Street around 12.30pm.
She was known to homeless organisations and had been using a tent to sleep in and live out of. It is understood she was aged in her 30s.
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Gardaí said they had assisted emergency services at the scene of a “medical incident” on Pearse Street, Dublin 2, on Friday afternoon.
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It is understood Ms Smith was brought to St James’s Hospital. She was subsequently pronounced dead.
Her death notice on Rip.ie said she was the beloved daughter of Judy and a loving mother of Stephen and Lee. She was predeceased by her father Tommy and brother Tomo.
She is “very sadly missed by her mother, sons and brother Edward, sisters Lisa, Kelly, Jacquelyn and Joanne, daughter-in law Jade, Sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, extended family, friends and neighbours”, it said.
Keira Gill, founder of homeless organisation A Lending Hand, a Dublin-based volunteer outreach group which has been operating for more than a decade, described Ms Smith as “always being as happy as she could, being so polite and very grateful” for any help they gave her.
“Our condolences to all her family, friends and homeless family. We knew her well and she came to us, we were very fond of her and are heartbroken to hear she has passed away, her pals on the streets are devastated,” she said.
Ms Gill added the Government needed to “seriously look at the reasons why a vulnerable homeless woman felt safer in a tent than the accommodation on offer. Putting groups of grown women in a room together is never going to work without the right on-site supports”.
A Lending Hand says it plans to hold a vigil at the site on Friday.
The Dublin Region Homeless Executive said it had been “made aware of the death of a woman who was sleeping rough in the city. We extend our deepest sympathies to her partner, her family and her friends.
“We would also like to acknowledge Dublin Simon’s Outreach team, who worked closely with the deceased over an extended time,” a statement added.
Tributes were being paid on a GoFundMe page set up by family and friends to help her family with funeral costs.
The organiser said she “passed away suddenly”, leaving the family “lost. Every little help will go a long way [to] helping her mam get everything paid for and sorted out.”
The Health Service Executive was contacted for comment.
The most recent figures for the number of homeless people in the State have reached almost 17,000 people, including 5,321 children.
