Surge in people using service raises fears over homelessness

MORE than 130 people are using a new homeless service in Dublin city centre amid fears of more people sleeping rough.

The evening service, operated by Focus Ireland and the Merchants Quay Centre, began taking in clients in July, with an average of 80 people in its first week.

That number has jumped to 130 in recent times, allowing clients to visit the Focus Ireland Coffee Shop in Temple Bar.

It opens its doors between 4pm and 8.30pm and according to those behind the scheme it fills a gap in existing services, allowing those sleeping rough or out of home to get a meal and link in with services while taking a break from life on the streets.

According to chief executive officer of Merchants Quay Tony Geoghegan many of those accessing the service have addiction issues.

He said: “Having our staff working there means they can get the support they need — including getting fast-track access to drug treatment and health services.”

While many of the 130 clients using the service are Irish, figures reveal that more than 50 are from Poland. People of other nationalities have also accessed the service, including 15 from Britain and 11 from Latvia.

Mr Geoghegan said many foreign nationals had been living here and working in the construction industry and were now left with drastically reduced financial means and in some cases, no access to social welfare due to the Habitual Residency Condition.

He also said it was “no surprise” so many people were accessing the service.

Focus Ireland CEO Joyce Loughnan said the promised flow of housing from Government to end long-term homelessness by the end of this year had not materialised to the level campaigners had expected, meaning more people sleeping rough.

“As we face into an election it is vital that these issues are firmly on the agenda for all parties.”

There are up to 5,000 people homeless in Ireland at any one time but many service operate during working hours in the daytime. The need for an evening service had been highlighted in a Focus Ireland report called Pathway to Home.

www.focusireland.ie