Night café for homeless gets 22,000 referrals

The country’s first night café for homeless people received more than 22,000 referrals last year and dealt with almost 2,000 clients.

The night cafe, operated by Merchant’s Quay in Dublin City Centre, only began offering the service at the start of 2015 but figures show it is now a key aspect of the overall response to the homeless crisis, effectively offering an alternative to sleeping rough for dozens of people each night.

While sleep facilities are limited to a mat on the floor, it also allows clients to utilise other services offered by Merchants Quay Ireland (MQI).