UP TO 20 people are likely to end up sleeping rough on the streets when a cold weather shelter closes its doors tomorrow, according to volunteers.
The hostel, established after Minister for the Environment John Gormley heard a plea by homeless campaigner Alice Leahy, has been operating at full capacity since it opened in late January.
While the 21-bed hostel was set up to provide a short-term response to the plight of homeless people affected by the cold snap, volunteers say it highlights the urgent need to provide beds for homeless foreign nationals.
The majority of those staying at the shelter in Dublin’s city centre have been Poles or other eastern Europeans. Many are not entitled to welfare payments under the habitual residency condition. Others have shunned mainstream services due to what they perceive as intrusive questioning or the need to be officially referred for a bed.
“Most have told us they intend to sleep rough when the centre closes on Friday,” said Lorna Cronnelly of Dublin Simon, which has been operating the shelter on behalf of Dublin City Council.
“We weren’t 100 per cent sure of the need for this centre at the beginning, but it has been running to capacity and highlighted the very real need that’s out there.
Dublin Simon said the shelter is not a long-term solution to the homeless problem due to the lack of support services. But it has pointed out the need for high-quality emergency accommodation for those outside mainstream services.
A spokesman for Mr Gormley said the shelter had served its purpose in providing emergency accommodation during the cold weather.
However, he pointed out, the building was unsuitable for providing a long-term response.
He said Mr Gormley had written to the Minister for Integration Conor Lenihan, highlighting the issues facing foreign nationals. “The Minister has asked that those who have been using the service be provided with all the help necessary on a one-to-one basis in relation to linking into other services,” the spokesman said.
Ms Leahy paid tribute to Mr Gormley for establishing the hostel in the first place and said she hoped a new centre could be established to cater to the needs of foreign nationals.
“The Minister responded to our call for a cold weather hostel, and no one died on the street, so it’s important to acknowledge that,” she said.
“One of the reasons many homeless are reluctant to use mainstream services is the highly intrusive questioning, and that needs to be addressed by all groups in the field, statutory and voluntary.
She said the philosophy of Trust, the homeless service she co-founded, was that the background of an individual should not matter when in need of a homeless service.
