Civil Defence volunteers open 20 emergency beds in Dublin

Dublin Civil Defence is opening doors tonight to a homeless facility which will offer 20 beds as emergency accommodation in the run-up to Christmas.

The shelter is opening earlier than planned to accommodate the homeless through the Christmas period, and will be staffed by volunteers working over the Christmas period.

Situated in the Civil Defence headquarters on Wolf Tone Quay near Heuston Station, it was originally planned to open in January, and is funded from Dublin City Council's homeless action plan.

The 20-bed facility is part of the 260 emergency places promised before December 23. About a quarter of those are now in place, and officials from the Dublin Region Homeless Executive insist the remainder will be in place on time.

Dublin Civil Defence Officer James McConnel wanted to thank the volunteers, some of whom come from as far away as Cork to work a shift.

"Without civil defence volunteers from around the country, we wouldn't be able to do this," he said.

The Civil Defence is a branch of the Department of Defence. Their operations include severe weather response, search and recovery, and supporting fire and emergency services in major incidents.

— Dave Molloy