112 hostel beds to be provided in Dublin area for homeless

A total of 112 hostel places are being provided by a new programme for the homeless in the Dublin area. The joint programme, launched at a press conference by Dublin Corporation and the Eastern Health Board yesterday, has also upgraded and refurbished a further 108 hostel places.

The two-year £5 million plan announced in last week's Budget is to be used to provide two special and separate hostels for homeless people with drug and alcohol addiction problems.

The joint programme was part of a "zero tolerance" approach to homelessness which was the policy of Dublin Corporation, said the city manager, Mr John Fitzgerald.

The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal, Mr Robert Molloy, said he was "personally very strongly committed to addressing the issues involved".

"I expect to receive the report of the cross-department team [which is looking at how homelessness might best be tackled] in the near future and I will give urgent consideration to the recommendations of the report."

In the voluntary sector, the Iveagh Hostel has provided 12 new places, with another 28 places coming on stream at the end of the month. The Simon Community is providing six new places at Usher's Island, while premises bought by the corporation on North Circular Road has been allocated to Simon to provide 14 long-term sheltered units. A further 40 bed spaces at a private hostel on Eustace Street will operate from next week.

Additional properties for rental from the private sector are being sought by the corporation. It has established an inspectorate to ensure all private property used for emergency accommodation for the homeless and asylum-seekers is up to standard and safe.

A cold weather strategy, established in 1997, has been re-established and will allow 31 additional places for the homeless during the winter.

The EHB has appointed a general manager with responsibility for homelessness while the corporation is to appoint a senior officer in the new year to head up its homeless services.

From early next month people sleeping rough will be targeted by outreach services and offered immediate accommodation, while people in hostels will be encouraged to move to more long-term and appropriate facilities.

A one-stop shop at Parkgate Hall, near the Phoenix Park, will provide an emergency helpline and referral service for homeless people seeking accommodation. Relevant services for the homeless will be provided outside the city also, to avoid ghettoisation and ensure appropriate services are available locally.

An additional psychiatrist, with support team, is to be provided by the EHB, as is a special day-care service.

Mr Molloy said the new millennium offered an opportunity for a much greater drive to respond to homelessness in the Dublin area "in a purposeful and resolute manner".

Mr Fitzgerald paid tribute to Mr Molloy and his Department for their commitment to the issue. "Minister, relations with your Department [on homelessness] are infinitely better than they have been. Sometimes we have been almost overwhelmed by the generosity and support we have received."

The Lord Mayor, Cllr Mary Freehill, said the initiatives were "but a beginning in the journey towards a solution". She hoped "all concerned can renew their efforts as we move into the next millennium".

Other speakers included the chairman of the Eastern Health Board, Mr Ivor Callely; the chairwoman of the Housing Initiative, Ms Maureen Lynham; the CEO of the Eastern Health Board, Mr Pat McLoughlin, and the Dublin assistant city manager, Mr Philip Maguire.