Ashton Burke Doyle | Contributing Writer
In the past 6 years in Ireland there has been headline after headline regarding just how bad homelessness is in our capital. Each and every year it has gotten worse up until now, where it is now at crisis point. Many are oblivious to just how bad homelessness has gotten. I will admit I was too until I met a man who was himself homeless. This man opened my eyes to what would bring me to want to investigate Ireland’s homeless crisis and why emergency accommodation is a process made so unfairly complicated.
On average, six people who are new to homeless services in Dublin are presenting themselves on a daily basis, Dublin region homeless executive rough sleeper count revealed that in December 2013 there was a minimum of 139 persons who were sleeping rough across the Dublin region on the night of the count in November. This is nearly a 60% increase since the count was done in November 2012 previous to this.
If this is the case why have we yet to see this plan set into action or any decrease in our homeless figures or figures of people sleeping rough?
Every few years, there has been reports and bills released from The Department of Environment, Community and Government, which state that they are in the process of doing something about the homeless crisis in our country. These continue to worsen as time goes by. The following is a quote from ‘The Homeless Strategy National Implementation Plan’, which was published in 2008. This plan states that the, “Implementation of the Homeless Strategy will be carried out primarily through the local homeless action plan process”. As far as I’m aware the definition of implementation is; the process of putting a decision or plan into effect; execution, if this is the case why have we yet to see this plan set into action or any decrease in our homeless figures or figures of people sleeping rough? Because no significant action has taken place to ensure that these broken promises come into effect, that’s why.
As most of us know, homelessness in Ireland is a major problem and has gotten noticeably worse in recent years. Since February of this year, The Civil Defence has been called in to help the housing authorities to cope with this growing problem, which is in no time soon coming to an end. On average, six people who are new to homeless services in Dublin are presenting themselves on a daily basis, Dublin region homeless executive rough sleeper count revealed that in December 2013 there was a minimum of 139 persons who were sleeping rough across the Dublin region on the night of the count in November. This is nearly a 60% increase since the count was done in November 2012 previous to this. These figures cover all of Dublin city and county, inclusive of the four Dublin Local Authority areas. This information and these figures were provided by Dublin Simon Community, an Organisation that are always doing their best to help people who are homeless.
It has come to my understanding that either they are running out of beds between the first two hours the helpline opens or that in fact they pick and choose who they wish to give a bed to
The further I dug deeper and deeper into this investigation, the more dumbfounded I became with all the shocking information that was starting to reveal itself. A man who I spoke with, who was homeless and wishes to remain anonymous, was able to tell me of how he has to ring a helpline every day between 14.00pm and 16.00pm then again between 18.00pm and 19.00pm and later on at 22.30pm. This helpline is run by the Local Housing Authority, which each person who is homeless must be registered with if they want to be eligible to receive a bed for the night. That is of course if there are any beds available that night, and it has come to my understanding that either they are running out of beds between the first two hours the helpline opens or that in fact they pick and choose who they wish to give a bed to.
I rang this helpline on numerous occasions requesting a bed for the night and every time I rang I spoke with the same man, who refuses to give his name and spoke down to me in such a manner that it disgusted me. I then had five other people ring the helpline at different times, including the man who is homeless, only to discover they spoke with the same man and were spoken to in the same way that I was.
It was not until I decided to ring up a couple of different Hostels, Haven House and The Morning star, that I realised a person who requires emergency accommodation cannot just walk into a hostel and pay for a bed for the night, they must have booked a bed through the “unhelpful” line for that night and if they did not go through this process it was very likely they would be sleeping rough that night.
I put these questions to the Local Housing Authority, the Hostels and Organisations, I was left without any answers.
I had so many questions with regards to this process and how unfair and unjust it was and every time I put these questions to the Local Housing Authority, the Hostels and Organisations, I was left without any answers. That was until I came across Stepping Stone, Stepping Stone is an Organisation that was founded in 1972. ‘Currently Stepping Stone owns over 25 units of accommodation including houses, apartments and single units, providing housing, furnished to a high standard, to individuals and families who are homeless or at risk. Tenants are offered a clear and legal lease outlining rights and responsibilities of both tenant and landlord.’
“The most rewarding outcome is to see people who we have helped be happy in a home and know that we have helped a family lead a happy life”
Louisa Santoro is CEO of Stepping Stone and when asked about Stepping Stone and who they help Louisa replied; “We get a lot of single people and one parent families that come into us, each case has a different plan depending on their different circumstances. We also get many families that come in that we help to support”. Louisa went on to talk about how it feels knowing that they are helping people to get their lives back on track,” The most rewarding outcome is to see people who we have helped be happy in a home and know that we have helped a family lead a happy life.”
Homelessness and the need for emergency accommodation is such a complicated subject to get into and speak about because at the end of the day everybody has their own thoughts and opinions about it. From the information I gathered throughout this investigation there is one thing that is certain, the process in which people that are homeless much go through in order to receive emergency accommodation is undoubtedly made unfairly complicated. If our Government were to intervene and start doing something with the policy document on social housing they have, maybe our country’s homeless crisis would start to resolve itself, but until then emergency accommodation is a process made unfairly complicated for those in dire need.
