Sir, In light of RTÉ's Prime TimeHomeless Special (November 22nd), it is clear that there is a crisis in the provision of homeless services in Dublin. It now appears there are more people sleeping rough than at any other time in the past 10 years. According to the programme, there has been a 45 per cent increase in the past six months alone. This is particularly frustrating for Respond! Housing Association which has been working in the social housing sector for nearly 30 years and believe this crisis could have been avoided. We believe much of the responsibility for this crisis lies with the decision to reconfigure the provision of homeless services in recent years as this now appears short-sighted and ill-timed.
Respond! was particularly disappointed at the policy change introduced through the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive as it meant the closure of our transitional housing centre in Conrath House, Drumcondra, Dublin. This 43-bed centre provided a safe, secure and supported environment for men who were formerly homeless. Conrath House acted as a stepping stone from emergency accommodation to independent living for men following a difficult period in their lives. Following completion of the support programme, we recorded a successful settlement rate of our residents of over 90 per cent.
It was with regret that Respond! had to close the centre in June with the loss of 16 part-time and full-time jobs.
At the time Respond! was deeply concerned that there was not an adequate level of appropriate services in place to meet the demands of homeless people in Dublin and the Prime Time Programme seems to prove this to be true. Respond! believes the withdrawal of transitional housing services and the complete lack of long-term accommodation means the provision of emergency services in Dublin now appears to be haphazard and chaotic.
As an organisation founded during the last housing crisis in the 1980s, it sometimes feels as if little progress has been made over the past 30 years.
Ultimately it is the vulnerable people sleeping on our streets who are suffering as a result. – Yours, etc,