A Dublin woman who, along with her baby son, went to the Mansion House for the annual Christmas Day lunch for the homeless in 2000 returned there to celebrate the first year of the Tenancy Sustainment Service.
Evelyn Gaynor, who was invited to tell her story by Lord Mayor Vincent Jackson, was joined by representatives of the Homeless Agency, Dublin City Council and the Simon Community.
The Tenancy Sustainment Service works with all three agencies to keep tenants in their homes and prevent them living rough.
The review of the organisation's first year identified five key areas of difficulty for tenants which may lead to homelessness. These include "baggage" associated with a history of homelessness; budgeting; responsibility for utilities; coping with addiction; and social isolation and loneliness.
The survey also revealed a number of service-users lived in sub-standard conditions, a small percentage in abject poverty and many in social isolation.
According to the latest official count, there are 2015 homeless people in the Greater Dublin Area.
This includes 1,361 households made up of 1,552 adults and 463 children. The majority of these people are offered bed and breakfast or emergency accommodation when it is available.
The Tenancy Sustainment Service also works with the Simon Community which offers emergency shelter on Harcourt Street and an alcohol detox service.
An outreach service works with people sleeping rough in the streets, and a soup run provides food in the evenings.
The lord mayor said, despite the many positive developments, "homelessness remains a reality or a persistent risk for a significant number of people".
He said the tenancy service was an essential element of the council's dealings with the homeless.
