Residents make strong objections to proposed Simon wet centre

NEW moves were underway yesterday to allay the fears of residents trying to block plans for the city’s first shelter for homeless street drinkers.

Dublin Simon Community wrote to Cork’s Lord Mayor Deirdre Clune outlining how it operates a similar facility as part of a 30-bed hostel on Harcourt Street.

These management structures are expected to be implemented in the proposed Cork centre.

Cork city council plans to establish its first dedicated wet shelter, or gateway project, at 34, Leitrim Street which would be run by Cork Simon.

It plans to target a core group of 15 homeless people with chronic alcohol problems who drink on the city’s streets. A spokesman for Cork Simon said the drinking habits of this small group has to be acknowledged. The shelter would provide a safe and secure environment in which they could drink, he said.

That drinking will be done under strict supervision, he added. A range of services, including addiction counselling, would also be offered.

But the project, which is still going through the planning process, is facing fierce local opposition.

The North River Quarter Community group said the proposed location is unsuitable given its proximity to four schools. City councillors plan to devote an entire housing committee meeting to the issue next week.

They will discuss the letter from Dublin Simon’s interim chief executive Sam McGuinness.

He said Dublin Simon has a neighbourhood policy which is strictly enforced. It also has formal links with local residents and gardaí.

There have been no complaints from either in the recent past, he said.

The last complaint from locals was in April 2004 when some shelter users were loitering in a lane behind a local hotel. Mr McGuinness said the matter was dealt with immediately.

“We have incidents of our staff being harassed on the street late at night when undertaking shift work,” he said.

“This harassment has not come from those using the service but from those leaving the late night opening bars in the area.”

Shelter users are made aware of the policy and hostel beds may be withdrawn if they don’t comply, he said. Simon staff also patrol the neighbourhood to make sure service users don’t loiter.

Surveys show that an average of 28 of the hostel’s 30 beds are occupied every night by midnight, he said.

Ms Clune backed plans for Cork’s wet shelter last night. “The Gateway Project is already part of the city’s strategy to tackle homelessness.

“This project is needed to get people off the streets,” she said.

Cllr Mairín Quill also criticised some local objectors.

“I was intensely upset that people would use students as a weapon with which to defeat the proposal,” Ms Quill said.

“It’s wrong to presume that homeless people are a threat to the health and safety of school children. It’s a false and spurious argument,” she said.

Tomorrow: “People die because we’re not reaching them. This project will target the most vulnerable and the most marginalised.”

Colette Kelleher, director of Cork Simon, on why Cork needs a wet shelter.