Capuchin centre prepares for increased number of asylum seekers

Government plans to keep Citywest hub closed to those seeking emergency shelter

The Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin said it is preparing for a potential increased number of asylum seekers amid Government plans to keep the Citywest hub closed to those seeking emergency shelter.

Refugees intending to seek asylum in Ireland have been told to defer any travel plans amid a severe shortage of available accommodation.

The State now plans to keep the Citywest hub closed to international protection (IP) applicants seeking emergency shelter for at least another four days as the migration crisis enters an “extremely difficult phase”.

“We just don’t know what numbers are going to come in. We hope and feel we are ready for them,” centre manager Alan Bailey said.

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“We sat down with staff at 6am this morning and worked out the logistics of a big influx today, we feel we are ready for it,” he told RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland.

“Once we received the advice from the Government that there may be an influx we’ve been getting ready for it – we were here this morning at 6am to get ready in case we have an influx of the people who arrived yesterday.

“We have prepared for at least another 100 people, as long as we have a bit of advance notice it’s no problem for us to have it ready.”

On Wednesday, instead of a sit-down breakfast service, the centre provides a takeaway breakfast and distributes food hampers.

The average breakfast is 200 people, said Mr Bailey. “A lot of those are rough sleepers who have spent the night walking the streets. Normally we open at eight o’clock but the last few days we have started at seven o’clock to take them in off the street.

“We’re doing 200 breakfast six mornings a week, we also offer dinner – full three courses – that starts at 12.30pm until 3pm, and we do between 500 and 600 dinners every day.

“We’re seeing a lot of new people, people who have never been here before. We like to think they know they can come here because they will be comfortable and we will provide the necessities.”

Mr Bailey said that on the previous occasion when Citywest had to close to new arrivals the centre has provided meals, shower facilities and medical services.

“They said themselves where they’re coming from is far worse than anything that can happen here. They were grateful.”

The Department of Children and Integration confirmed on Tuesday that adult IP applicants would not be accepted into the hub’s emergency accommodation area. Instead, they will have their information taken and will be contacted if accommodation becomes available.

A senior Government source said the length of closure will be longer than was previously the case, and those closures lasted between three and four days.

Meanwhile, the chair of homeless charity Tiglin has warned of a huge increase in demand for their services from International Protection applicants.

“What has happened is, the main hub at Citywest - which was set up to hold 370 people - presently has 858 people staying there. That is not correct and it can’t continue,” Aubrey McCarthy told Newstalk Breakfast. “We operate the homeless service right beside Trinity College on Pearse Street called the Lighthouse, we also have homeless services beside the Four Courts and we also do refugee accommodation as well, but we are bursting at the seams.

“We usually serve up to 250 people with dinner but yesterday, we had a 30 per cent increase just on the meals.”

Mr McCarthy urged the Government to look at housing people in vacant buildings.

“It needs to be an all-party, all-Government response to it, so that we can deal with this shortage, which is going to last, I would say, until mid-February.”

Vivienne Clarke

Vivienne Clarke is a reporter