Homeless group critical of EHB's use of some B and B housing

The Eastern Health Board should not house the homeless in bed and breakfast facilities where people are forced out of their accommodation for up to eight hours a day, a homeless support group has claimed.

The Dublin Welfare Rights Group - a coalition of some 30 community and welfare rights organisations - says the results of a survey carried out among the homeless revealed that up to 50 per cent of them are forced to leave their temporary lodgings between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. The group also claims that basic needs such as laundry facilities are being denied to many people.

The group says the people affected - mainly mothers with young children - should not be housed by the health board in bed and breakfast accommodation unless they are allowed to stay in all day, unless basic standards of hygiene are maintained by the bed and breakfasts and unless they offer self-catering facilities.

"If this is not possible the health board must consider providing families with vouchers to cover meal and laundry expenses or negotiate with the bed and breakfasts for the provision of a meal in the evening," said Ms Nora Kirrane, a spokeswoman for the group.

According to the survey more than half the homeless people had to vacate their accommodation between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., while most were women on their own with one or more children. In some cases women had up to five children with them in one room.

"Even on Christmas Day many of these people will have nowhere to go for eight hours of the day," said Ms Kirrane.

The survey was carried out between August and October this year. The survey indicated that while B and B housing was supposed to be for emergency use only, it very often lasted for much longer periods.

The survey also showed that:

Almost 94 per cent of respondents were women.

87.5 per cent were parents, all of them lone parents.

81.25 per cent walked the streets during the day.

100 per cent received just one meal - breakfast.

75 per cent had no access to cooking facilities and 87.5 per cent had no access to laundry facilities.