A picture of a four-year-old homeless girl eating dinner at the side of the street has sparked outrage.
The heartbreaking image was taken at a soup kitchen earlier this week and shows the young child squatting on a plastic crate to consume her only hot meal of the day.
It was shared by Ballymun Soup Run in North Dublin, which provides dinners to families living in emergency accommodation, Dublin Live reports.
The group uploaded the image after a busy run with the caption: “Our Government are to blame for this.”
It stated: “It’s so normal that they pop down for dinner, it’s sad. No cooking facilities, what option has mammy got?
(Image: NurPhoto/PA Images)
“Chippers are bad every day for young children. And not cheap either. It’s sad.”
Tony Walsh, co-founder of Feed Our Homeless, shared the post as he blasted the Government over the housing crisis.
He said: “This photo of a young child eating her dinner sitting on a crate on the streets of Dublin is certainly shameful and unnacceptable. No child or any individual should have to sit on the streets like this eating their dinner because they have no place to call home.
“Shame on our Government. When will enough be enough? Ireland is one of the wealthiest countries in the world.
“We should not have a housing and homeless crisis like the one we have.”
There are 8,238 people homeless in Ireland, according to the latest statistics from the Department of Housing.
Figures for February 2021 show a slight drop in adults on the streets from 5,987 to 5,974, with the number of homeless children now at 2,264 and 935 families.
The volunteer who took the photograph earlier this week said she had “no words”.
She added: “Our Government should hang their heads in shame.
“A four-year-old baby and one of the only places they have to have a home-cooked meal is our team?
“These children should have a kitchen table to sit at and have dinner, not on the ground on a crate at our soup kitchen.”