Sir, – The lodging of an objection in the High Court to using a former hotel to accommodate homeless people seems particularly heartless in this the season of "no room at the inn" ("Businesses challenge homeless accommodation decision", News, December 23rd).
This is sad news, as it was only last month the Peter McVerry Trust was granted permission by Dublin City Council to use two Georgian townhouses, formerly a boutique hotel on Dublin’s Baggot Street, Dublin 2, to help alleviate the city’s homeless crisis.
The trust, supported by local residents, does great work housing people in 250 in units across the capital. It seems unfair that while commercial and local residents of Dublin 1, 3, 7 and other inner city areas willingly have the largest number of homeless hostels per population, that in Dublin 2 there is an objection to a couple of houses in Baggot Street being used to supply shelter. – Yours, etc,
TOM RYAN,
Churchtown,
Dublin 14.