A HOMELESS man was “left to die” on the streets of Southend after being thrown out of accommodation because of an alcohol problem.

Gary Dunn, 53, was found collapsed in Leather Lane, Southend, and died before medics were able to treat him.

Volunteers at a soup kitchen claim Mr Dunn “fell through the cracks” of a system which struggles to deal with homeless people with alcohol issues.

Homeless charity Harp has confirmed Mr Dunn was housed in a rehabilitation centre, in Westcliff, but was forced to leave after a month due to his drinking and behaviour.

He was later forced to leave the charity’s night shelter for the same reason.

Caren Rowson, of the Warrior Soup Kitchen, which feeds the homeless twice a week, said: “He was set up to fail.

“He always wanted another chance but in the end he was just left to die."

Mr Dunn was found on Saturday afternoon. The Essex Air Ambulance was called and arrived at 2.05pm, but nothing could be done to save him.

Mrs Rowson added: “He was here on Friday and said he was really cold, so we put a scarf on him and he walked off. He died the next day.

“We’ve set up a shrine in Warrior Square and even police officers have paid their respects because he was such an inoffensive and gentle man.

He wasn’t one of their regulars.”

Mr Dunn was the second homeless person to have died on the streets of Southend in as many weeks, with another rough sleeper dying of a drug overdose on Saturday, August 8.

Harp chief executive Jill Garwood said she and staff at the charity were deeply saddened by Mr Dunn’s death and are currently campaigning to raise enough money to hire night staff able to help people with drug and alcohol issues.

She said: “We’ve known Gary for many years and all the staff here are very upset about his death.

“He was in accommodation but that didn’t work out because of his behaviour and he was given another chance going in the night shelter.

“These decisions are never taken lightly and we will take people back 100 times if needs be.

“Our End Rough Sleeping campaign seeks to do just that by 2018 and part of that campaign is funding and developing accommodation where rough sleepers with alcohol problems can drink, but we don’t have the specialist and overnight staff to do that now.”

A remembrance service for Mr Dunn will be held at 57 West, in London Road, Southend, on Saturday, between 3.30pm and 4.30pm.

'HOMELESSNESS HAS INCREASED IN SOUTHEND'

HOMELESSNESS has increased in Southend this year according to Harp’s chief executive.

Jill Garwood said although the number of rough sleepers coming to Harp had reduced, the charity had counted an increase in the number of people on the streets.

She said: “Although homelessness is going up in the area, it’s halved for us in the past few years because we have a lot of agencies working together to help homeless people.

“In 2009 we had 2,000 people we saw in the year, but last year it was 1,000.

“However, in terms of entrenched rough sleepers, we have counted 98 in Southend at the moment.”

Last week, the Echo reported homeless people had been taking refuge in a row of abandoned garages off Ceylon Road, in Westcliff, where six people are understood to be living with beds, chairs and other household furniture.

It was also revealed people were sleeping rough in Southend Bus Station and, in recent weeks, the council has served notice on homeless people sleeping in Southend Cliff Gardens in five tents.

Tents had previously sprung up on the beach off Eastern Esplanade before their occupants were asked to leave.