Ireland’s homelessness crisis is laid bare in a striking photograph of a four-year-old girl sitting on the street eating at a soup kitchen.
It is understood that the girl and her family are staying in emergency homeless accommodation in a Dublin hotel.
“She’s a lovely, beautiful little girl she is,” said Jeri Bryne who runs Ballymun Soup Run in Dublin.
The little girl was sitting on a crate eating her dinner from a plastic container when the photo was taken.
Ms Byrne says the girl and her family go to the soup kitchen “every week”.
It is understood that the hotel has a lot of families in emergency accommodation who don’t have access to cooking facilities and therefore rely on the soup kitchen.
Ms Byrne says the soup kitchen tries to provide a “healthier option” for the families.
“There does be loads of little kids with us coming down for dinner,” said Ms Byrne who estimates that about 50pc of those who avail of the soup kitchen service are children.
She said one woman, who has three children and has been homeless for 32 months, uses the soup kitchen service.
The kitchen serves on average between 70 and 120 people every Sunday evening.
Running since September 2020, the it offers food to both the homeless and “anyone that’s struggling”, said Ms Byrne.
“Anyone can pop along, and we’ll help them out,” she added.
The soup kitchen runs every Sunday evening from 7pm and serves a range of dishes cooked by volunteers and donated by local cooks and businesses.
