Numbers of homeless seeking shelter on helpline doubles

NUMBERS of homeless people seeking emergency accommodation through an after-hours helpline almost doubled over a six-month period this year in a surge described as “unsustainable with the current resource” by Community Welfare Officers (CWOs).

Documents received under the Freedom of Information Act, show that in January the HSE-run Homeless Persons Unit received 5,084 calls from people seeking emergency accommodation, but in July this rose to 9,330.

The rate of calls going unanswered rose from 12% in January to almost 18% in July.

The scale of the problem was highlighted during a meeting between Dublin City Council and the HSE in August.

And further sets of statistics reveals that while in January no homeless person was left unaccommodated due to bed numbers, in July, 194 were not accommodated for this reason.

Minutes from the meeting show the HSE and city council discussing the issue.

It was suggested a “walk up” option be explored with Cedar House – a Salvation Army homeless shelter – but this was deemed to be unsuitable.

Another solution put forward by the city council was that staff be seconded to HSE to support the problem.

This too, however, was thought to be unworkable for several reasons.

According to minutes of the meeting “resourcing theafter-hours service from within the Homeless Persons Unit would be costly for Dublin City Council as it could only be done on overtime”.

It was further advised there probably could be no interest from staff in overtime anyway.

It was agreed that further ways of solving problems needed to be explored and a profile of callers at weekends be drawn up.

HSE community welfare officers, who operate the telephone line, first raised concerns with Dublin City Council inJuly stating an “urgent response” was required.

However just last month, another email was sent by CWOs to the city council stating the matter “still had not been resolved”.

Another part of the problem is that the phone service, along with placement function of CWOs, is in the process of being transferred to the city council, a move that has been criticised by welfare officers.

Correspondence since August 2009 shows the hand-over of services has been postponed again and again. Most recently, in a letter dated August 27 this year, the executive manager of Dublin City Council said the transfer would occur early in 2011.

The letter further states “a satisfactory conclusion” has been reached in relation to the staffing of the freephone, but no detail is given as to how the issue has been resolved.