Homeless authorities condemn attempt to 'abuse' services to attend protest

Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) CEO Anthony Flynn. Picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Homeless authorities in Dublin have condemned efforts by some apparently affiliated with an anti-lockdown demonstration to allegedly utilise the homeless freephone service as a cover for attending the protest.

Cllr Anthony Flynn tweeted a screengrab in which it suggested that those attending the demonstration "ring the homeless free phone number and they will book you into a homeless hostel for few nights. You will have an address in the city centre so you cannot be fined."

It also suggested that there were "masses of empty accommodation" in Dublin city centre and added, "You're not taking a bed from someone else. They just source more accommodation."

Cllr Flynn, who also runs the Inner City Helping Homeless organisation in the capital, said he was alarmed by the messages he had been forwarded and had some with the Dublin Region Homeless Executive and Gardai about how to ensure the system was not abused and that those genuinely seeking assistance received it.

A spokesperson for the Homeless Executive said: "The DRHE strongly condemns the posts on social media suggesting people coming to Dublin to participate in protests, use the homeless Freephone to get free accommodation. The Freephone operates 365 days a year and provides a vital service for people at risk of rough sleeping and the suggestion that it could be abused in such a fashion is abhorrent.

"Our staff are working throughout the day and will be comprehensively assessing any new presentations to homeless services, we will continue to monitor the situation. We are working closely with all Outreach teams and day services to ensure that any vulnerable people at risk of rough sleeping will be provided with accommodation."

Cllr Flynn said the possibility of the freephone service being abused was already in the public domain on Facebook by the time he received the screengrabs.

"We do take it seriously," he said. Cllr Flynn referred to "the stretch on services" in the caputal and said "We condemn the fact that people would seek to use homeless services."

He said having discussed the issue with gardaí and the DRHE he was satisfied that "robust systems" were in place to ensure services for those who need them would not be abused by those who don't.

It comes following an instruction in recent months that the 'local connection' — in which people who are homeless had to prove a local connection to a particular council area — was lifted as a requirement for accessing emergency accommodation.

Cllr Flynn said it was "unbelievable" that this might now be abused.

It's understood around five new people a day present to DRHE seeking emergency accommodation and that assessments will be conducted to ensure that anyone genuinely seeking a bed will receive one.