The founder of the Peter McVerry Trust has said that it is an ‘absolute disgrace’ that an 81-year-old woman was found homeless after, it is suspected, she was released from hospital.

The elderly woman was found in a distressed state last night by homeless volunteer, Irene Coady Murphy, who took her to a hotel that night.

The distressed woman was released from a Hospital on Thursday morning, according to the volunteer with the Feed Our Homeless group.

Fr Peter McVerry told Extra.ie upon hearing the news: ‘If she was released from the hospital into homelessness that is a disgrace. She may have given an address to the hospital so they may have thought they were discharging her to her home. It is a disgrace anyway that an 81-year-old has to sleep rough.’

When asked what the future holds for the elderly woman, Fr McVerry said: ‘I am presuming the council will leave her in the hotel, otherwise the council will get a huge backlash in negative publicity.

‘She will be allowed to stay in the hotel before they get her a place in an old folks home or somewhere. I think they will pull all the strings out to get her a place in a supported accommodation but that simply means that somebody else loses that place,’ the founder of the Peter McVerry trust added.

‘It is absolutely disgraceful that an 81-year-old woman is sleeping rough or should even be in a homeless accommodation which is unpleasant, difficult and with much younger people who can be quite problematic. That’s a disgrace. If the hospital released her into homelessness, that is another disgrace,’ Fr McVerry concluded.

Ms Coady Murphy wrote on a Facebook post on Thursday night: ‘I was called to the soup run tonight to an emergency on O’Connell Street. An 81-year-old woman was found after being discharged from hospital into homelessness.

‘We put her in a taxi and brought her to a hotel. Myself and Teresa Cahill settled her in for the night and will follow up in the morning to ensure her care,’ the post read.

Press Release : Last night (Thurs 9th Jan 2020) we (D8HAC Altogether Now) were one of three voluntary homeless outreach… Posted by D8HAC Altogether Now on Thursday, January 9, 2020

The volunteer thanked DCC Councillor, Christy Burke, and the Founder of Feed our Homeless, Tony Walsh, for their support in getting her into a hotel.