Homelessness in the suburbs?

Dublinandy3

Hi all,

Genuine question here. I did just ask on a local facebook page but seem to have been shouted down for the question so thought I’d ask a wider audience. Possibly the Facebook people are right, so apologies if in appropriate.

I live in stepaside which no one can deny is about as middle class quiet a suburb as you can get if thinking about middle class suburbs. I went to the local newsagents this morning only Tom see a homeless person begging outside.

I’m not here to question if homeless people should beg or not, I think that question has been debated enough along with the fact homeless people exist.

My question is do they now exist in the middle class suburbs? if they do then Dublin is broken if it has such a big problem it’s spreading out.

If they don’t exist I’m the suburbs does that mean that a homeless person has to feel they’re need to travel to find people with the right mindset to give to them because they can’t elsewhere.

So has anyone ever seen this in the suburbs in Dublin? Have I just been ignorant and it is the case or is what I saw unusual?

Eric Cartman

Yeah around this time of year some of them like to take a bus out of town and try beg outside the corner shops of middle class areas , often leaving a mess of empty vodka bottles and faeces for the council to clean up in january.

You also get the roma begging gangs dropping off ‘homeless’ in mercs in the morning and picking them up again when the shop theyre outside closes. Its a good racket.

IngazZagni

Yes I have seen it for years and years. It’s not common but it’s definitely there. There’s even threads on boards I’ve come across asking about specific people in suburban areas. Typically it seems they have local links to the area from the past but it could also be people attempting to get better treatment outside the city due to lack of footfall or the dangers on the streets of the city at night.

So yes I have seen them in wealthy areas since as long as I can remember but it remains limited.

freshpopcorn

Well not Dublin but in other towns in Ireland.
You’d see people outside shops with their cups.

However they generally are dropped to the town by car that morning and are picked up in the evening. Certain places are worse than others.

Dublinandy3

Eric Cartman wrote: »

Yeah around this time of year some of them like to take a bus out of town and try beg outside the corner shops of middle class areas , often leaving a mess of empty vodka bottles and faeces for the council to clean up in january.

You also get the roma begging gangs dropping off ‘homeless’ in mercs in the morning and picking them up again when the shop theyre outside closes. Its a good racket.

Fair enough, maybe I never noticed it at Xmas before but if it’s usual I won’t be surprised anymore.

doublejobbing 2

If I was sleeping rough I'd certainly feel safer bedding down in a back alley in BlackRock or a park in Castleknock than I would in a doorway in Talbot St. Never understand why they choose such busy places

IngazZagni

doublejobbing 2 wrote: »

If I was sleeping rough I'd certainly feel safer bedding down in a back alley in BlackRock or a park in Castleknock than I would in a doorway in Talbot St. Never understand why they choose such busy places

Probably because the centre is where the services are. Food, hostels, drug treatments etc.

Wibbs

Generally I've found if it's men they tend to be "local" Irish types as noted above trying to get better pickings in more well off areas(and Irish men are far more likely to be on the street homeless than women), if it's women and sometimes kids it's Roma and the like and far more organised. I've not seen the "mercedes dropping them off in the morning", however a few years ago there was a group of Roma who I regularly watched being dropped off by a van/minibus of a morning up the road from me to do their rounds of the houses with their kids in tow. Haven't seen them in years though. Must not have been much panhandling opportunities locally.

Eric Cartman

IngazZagni wrote: »

Probably because the centre is where the services are. Food, hostels, drug treatments etc.

Their dealers too

doublejobbing 2

IngazZagni wrote: »

Probably because the centre is where the services are. Food, hostels, drug treatments etc.

Phoenix Park is a relatively short walk from Merchants Wuay. As is Ballsbridge etc.

doublejobbing 2

doublejobbing 2 wrote: »

Phoenix Park is a relatively short walk from Merchants Wuay. As is Ballsbridge etc.

People may not feel safe in the park at night.

anewme

We had one homeless man appear in our town. He was sleeping at the church. People tried to help but he was getting quite abusive to them. Then someone kept ringing the Gardai. I think he went somewhere bigger, where he did not stick out so much.

nullzero

I've seen the begging gangs changing shifts at certain times, one woman sitting on the ground is replaced by another, they do a little handover between their shifts and then it's down to business.

Thelonious Monk

Yes I've seen a heroin addict that lives out my way begging in Malahide before. It's good that they're going to these areas, keeping it real for the Sorchas and Féilims in their enclaves.

nj27

I've seen a few around. There's a guy who sits outside a couple of shops local to me who I give the odd tenner and have a chat. Cool guy, said once that it was less hassle than being in town which I could understand.

Del2005

Not everyone sitting outside a shop or on the street begging is homeless, there's plenty of "professional" beggars who have homes on the streets begging. Many years ago myself and the whole bus got to hear how good town was for begging as a lad on our bus was having a full conversation with another person on the road.

There’s the same people who are at the same spot (outside a shop with high footfall) - week in week out in my area- they must make money otherwise they wouldn’t be there- by the look of them they’re possibly Middle Eastern.
I’ve seen them in middle class suburbs and towns for many years now up and down the country.
I don’t believe they’re all “homeless” per se- they may well be getting basic welfare but are subsidising this with proceeds of begging- some have been at the same spot for well over a year so likely have regulars who give them something.

Eric Cartman

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Yes I've seen a heroin addict that lives out my way begging in Malahide before. It's good that they're going to these areas, keeping it real for the Sorchas and Féilims in their enclaves.

Ahh yes, drug addicts intimidating people and making them feel unsafe is great....

Thelonious Monk

Eric Cartman wrote: »

Ahh yes, drug addicts intimidating people and making them feel unsafe is great....

No they're sitting on the ground begging, don't know who you are on about.
You really hate poor people and down and outs don't you?

Kraftwerk

I've often seen a group of 4/5 junkies from Dublin get off the bus in the rural r town I work in, beg for the day and head off back to Dublin in the evening. They must get more sympathy in rural areas despite being aggressive, ignorant scumbags.

Eric Cartman

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

No they're sitting on the ground begging, don't know who you are on about.
You really hate poor people and down and outs don't you?

Begging should be enforced in its illegality and the people removed from the streets . Nobody should ever have to walk by a begger or be approached by one.

Thelonious Monk

Eric Cartman wrote: »

Begging should be enforced in its illegality and the people removed from the streets . Nobody should ever have to walk by a begger or be approached by one.

Pretty sure it's not illegal.

Eric Cartman

Thelonious Monk wrote: »

Pretty sure it's not illegal.

I thought it was. It absolutely should be,

Beltby

Eric Cartman wrote: »

Begging should be enforced in its illegality and the people removed from the streets . Nobody should ever have to walk by a begger or be approached by one.

If your neighbours stopped handing them money, they wouldn't be there.

TheW1zard

If i was homeless id move to Hawaii

Signore Fancy Pants

TheW1zard wrote: »

If i was homeless id move to Hawaii

I saw a lot of homeless people when I was in Hawaii, for some reason I didnt expect to see any.

Weirdly enough, theres also a few dodgy housing estates too.

However, it would also be my choice if I was going to be homeless.

1800_Ladladlad

There seems to have been an uptake in homeless people making their way out to the suburbs especially in Blanchardstown. Iv been asked for change in places I didn't expect at all. And these people just looked a bit dirty but not the stereotypical image of a homeless person. There one person fully set up at the side of the Clonsilla road. Tent on top of pallets and a clothes line. Dirt ever etc. Also I am 100% convinced that there is like a camp of tents at the 12th lock thats just on the M50 roundabout. It definitely has signs of people coming and going over the fence and rocks stacked on top of another so a shorter person can get it. Also has a plastic green wrap put across the trees I think for privacy.


I have mentioned this before on the D15. A man begging outside supervalue who I had recognised from before, they asked me for money to buy petrol as his car broke down on the slip in to the village (2 mins from supervalue) but declined when I said I was walking up towards the garage and Id put it on my card. A little girl nearly got knocked down crossing from the other side of the road. It was his daughter. 2 weeks later a little kid asked me to sponsor him for something, I had no change. who was behind him? The lad asking for money to get petrol. The father. 2 weeks or so later in the same village a little girl asked me to sponsor her. I copped it was the little girl from before who nearly got knocked down and the father (like a simpleton) from a wall peeping out as if to check her progress. Let just say he was both adam and paul in one person. I haven't seen again around the village. I told him to sort he life out. I heart just went out to those kids. Imagine abusing kids like that just to get a bit of change.

Suburbs? FFS 80k from Dublin and about half the beggars here have full-on Dub accents.

Dublinandy3

Thank you all for your responses. Nice to know the shouting down I got from my local fb group was OTT but also my question was born out of curiosity so it’s good to read all the responses.

It reminds me of a story I read a few years ago, I managed to find it, albeit in the daily mail, maybe I’m in the wrong profession.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3469777/Beggar-earns-500-day-despite-not-homeless-s-equivalent-pre-tax-wage-130-000-just-12-000-David-Cameron-earns.html