A Monaghan councillor has hit out at "bleeding heart liberals" and challenged them to take in homeless people, instead of sending them to B&Bs.
During a presentation on a Draft Regional Homeless Action Plan, Seamus Treanor said the "behaviour in B&Bs is terrible" and claimed "scammers are coming to Monaghan" to get money from begging.
At the recent Monaghan County Council meeting, Mary Walker issued a presentation on the North East Homeless Action Plan.
It revealed that as of the end of 2020, there were four homeless families in the North East region of Cavan, Louth, and Monaghan.
This comprised of four adults, who were lone parents, and nine dependents, who were mainly children.
There were 57 emergency accommodation beds available in the North East, with three in the Castleblayney Trust and the rest in Drogheda and Dundalk.
Ms Walker said it "can be difficult to place people in places like B&Bs", and Sinn Féin's Pat Treanor said there was a reliance on the private sector.
Councillor Seamus Treanor said the "behaviour in B&Bs is terrible" and challenged "bleeding hearts" to "take them into your house and don't make B&Bs take them".
While Noel Keelan said he never thought he would see the day there are so many rough sleepers in Monaghan, Seamus Treanor said "not everyone on the streets is homeless" and claimed some are part of "organised crime gangs".
He added that they have "four or five bed homes in Dublin" and come down to Monaghan to beg, claiming they can make up to €300.
Councillor Raymond Aughey asked if Ms Walker is aware of any such issues, and she acknowledged that some homeless people who struggle to make money from begging in Dublin come down to more rural areas like Monaghan.
