Homeless charity ICHH to cease providing services next week

Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) is to cease providing services from the start of next week, a liquidator appointed to the Dublin homeless charity has told volunteers.

The charity, which has been embroiled in controversy over sexual assault allegations made against its late chief executive Anthony Flynn, is to shut from Monday, November 15th.

In a letter dated today, November 10th, seen by The Irish Times, liquidator Kieran Wallace said “alternative” homeless-service providers would be prepared for any increase in demand.

Mr Wallace was appointed as a liquidator of the north inner city charity in early October and said he had worked to ensure “no disruption to services provided by the charity and no direct impact for service users”.

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He told ICHH volunteers that “together with other homeless charities and the local authority I have mapped the current services provided by the charity to alternative providers in the area”.

The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), the State’s homeless agency for Dublin, had ensured that others providing homeless services “are prepared for an increase in demand from Monday”, he said.

Mr Wallace said it was with “deep regret” he informed volunteers that the charity would be shut.

The liquidator said he wanted to express his “sincerest appreciation to each and every volunteer” for their efforts in providing important services to “the most vulnerable in society” and for ensuring those services had continued while the charity was going through the liquidation process.

Mr Wallace said maps of routes used by ICHH to bring food and supplies to rough sleepers had been shared with Dublin Simon Community, who run a nightly outreach service.

There would be a handover of services, with additional support provided by DRHE, to “ensure there are no gaps”, with ICHH’s “high priority clients” visited daily by the Simon Community team, he said.

Two cafes run by Crosscare and the Peter McVerry Trust had been identified as alternative providers to take over demand from ICHH’s day service. This had up to 90 food packages collected from the charity’s Amiens St office each week.

Food hampers

ICHH had also provided 150 families with a food hamper every second week, with the liquidator pointing to Crosscare, Saint Vincent de Paul and the Capuchin centre day service as alternatives to cover any shortfall from that service.

Mr Flynn, founder of the charity, had been under Garda investigation in relation to alleged sexual assaults on two men when he died in August.

In the weeks following his death two further men came forward claiming they had also been sexually assaulted by Mr Flynn.

An internal report by former chairman of the charity David Hall said Mr Flynn was alleged to have sexually assaulted men for whom he had secured accommodation through the charity.

Following the controversy a liquidator was appointed. And earlier this month a High Court judge granted a petition from the Charities Regulator for the charity to be wound up.

ICHH had been set up in late 2013 to provide outreach services to rough sleepers in Dublin city and grew into an organisation with up to 200 volunteers.