Minister of State for Housing Damien English has agreed to spend a night in a homeless shelter, having been challenged to do so by a teenager. The 19-year-old, who asked to be identified under the pseudonym Brian Middleton, challenged Mr English at the launch of the Irish Council for Social Housing’s annual report on Wednesday. He said he had been sleeping on the streets and asked the Minister if he would be willing to spend three nights in a hostel he had previously attended. A clearly thrown Mr English said he would do it so long as it was “a quiet thing” and not in the media spotlight. “I found out that this [event] was happening and it’s just the kind of thing that one does,” he said.

Source: The Irish Times June 19, 2019 13:35 UTC