The 100 ‘cold weather’ beds being offered in Dublin this month, to take rough sleepers off the streets during the winter, are unlikely to close as planned in the spring, charities in the sector have warned.
Dublin Region Homeless Executive will be providing 100 emergency beds for men and women in the Digital Hub in Thomas Street, as part of its Cold Weather Initiative. The beds will be available from November 24th until the end of April, according to the DRHE.
However, charities say the beds are unlikely to close without measures to stop the flow of people into homelessness.
Of the 271 extra beds put in place last winter 251 are still in place. Significant extra capacity was created in the wake of the death of Jonathan Corrie, a homeless man who died in a doorway near Leinster House on December 1st.
Charities say they had understood many of these beds would be closed in the spring. Just 20, operated by the Civil Defence, were closed as anticipated.
‘Ongoing difficulties’
The Depaul Trust, which manages 47 of last year’s cold weather beds in two hostels, says they “were originally opened as part of the DRHE’s annual cold weather initiative” and were to close at the end of March.
“Due to ongoing difficulties with regard to the presentation of single people and couples into homelessness in Dublin, it was apparent to Depaul and the DRHE that there was a need to continue to run this service.”
A spokesman for the Peter McVerry Trust, which will operate eight cold weather beds under the current initiative, said it had not been expected that all of the beds would close.
“And based on the levels of people coming into homelessness we are still seeing it’s unlikely they will be able to close the 100 beds being put in place this winter. Once beds are in the system, in current circumstances it will be very difficult to take them out.”
Roughan McNamara of Focus Ireland said the additional capacity showed a "continuing, consistent flow" into homelessness.
“The Taoiseach keeps talking about the emergency response to homelessness as if that is good enough, when his Government has it within its power to keep people in their homes. The news about a two-year freeze between rent rises is welcome, but that is not going to help those people dependent on rent supplement.”
