A move by activists to take over the vacant Apollo House office block in Dublin to house homeless people was not an appropriate response to a serious situation, a senior Dublin City Council official has said.
Owen Keegan, the council's chief executive, said the accommodation on offer in the building on Tara Street was "substandard" and came at a time when there were close to 100 beds available in "professionally managed" hostels in the city.
“I find it difficult to reconcile why anyone would feel the need to accommodate homeless people in substandard accommodation when there are more than enough beds available in very good quality accommodation,” Mr Keegan told Newstalk’s Pat Kenny programme.
Familiar faces from the worlds of music and film, including Glen Hansard and Jim Sheridan, have supported the move to take over the building by the Home Sweet Home group and the Government last week declined to criticise the action given the public support it has won.
Mr Keegan said he believed “Irish people are suckers for celebrity endorsement” and that it was interesting that the recent opening of three refurbished hostels did not get nearly as much publicity.
“I have no doubt that celebrity endorsement is an issue here,” he added.
“There is a shortage of accommodation for homeless couples which we’re seeking to address , at the same time, a view has been taken that only certain deserving homeless people should be accommodated in Apollo House.”
The Home Sweet Home group has questioned claims from Minister for Housing Simon Coveney about the availability of beds for homeless people elsewhere in the city. The group said it was concerned that the figures cited included mats on the ground in place such as the Merchants Quay night cafe.
“Residents of Apollo House who have previously slept in night by night accommodation have commented that many hostels do not provide accommodation that is actually suitable or secure,” the group said in a statement.
“A few hours on the floor of a packed dormitory does not constitute a bed. It does not guarantee safety, or that supports are in place. They do not give people any opportunity to settle and feel secure.”
Disturbing
Mr Keegan said he found the situation “particularly disturbing” and that the reality was that a lot of homeless people had complex needs, which the council sought to meet.
“The notion that you pick and choose and take some kind of deserving homeless and accommodate them is a very old fashioned notion. We wouldn’t get away with it,” he said.
“If there are people in Apollo House who are genuinely homeless - we’ve said if there is genuine need for accommodation, we will provide it.”
Mr Keegan said he was satisfied that the quality of the beds on offer in hostels has dramatically improved over recent years.
“Yes, they are in dormitories, but the numbers are generally three or four people in each dormitory - and there’s a whole range of support services. That’s a major improvement on what was on offer in previous years.”
A High Court judge last week ruled that the people occupying Apollo House must leave the Nama-controlled building by January 11th. Mr Justice Paul Gilligan granted injunctions sought by Tom O'Brien and Simon Coyle of Mazars, joint receivers appointed over the building in 2014.
A member of the group told the court that Home Sweet Home had taken steps to ensure the building was safe - noting it was being well run and that security was being provided by a professional firm.
Rejecting claims it was unsuitable for use as accommodation for the homeless, she said the facility was dry and did not allow in drugs or alcohol, and each occupant had their own room. This was unlike the dormitory-type accommodation on offer else where in the city.
Mr Keegan said he did not believe there was any immediate safety risk in Apollo House “but we would be rightly condemned if we put people in a building that didn’t meet fire and safety standards, I’m surprised that a different attitude is being taken by the public and the media because of the nature of this particular venture.”