Dublin: Demand For Beds At "Crisis Level" As Hundreds Of Homeless Sleep On The Streets

Hundreds of Dublin local authority flats are empty because they are considered too small to live in. Dublin City Council has identified almost 460 vacant homes in flat complexes which do not meet minimum size standards.

In general the flats are almost half the size considered habitable under Department of the Environment standards for single bed homes.

In a report to councillors earlier this month, Dublin City Council said work had begun on combining sets of two flats into single-bedroom homes as part of a major refurbishment programme.

Both campaigners and housing authorities say there is a crisis level of demand for emergency beds across the capital, with homeless people being turned away from shelters every night.

Emergency beds across the capital are full, while 147 families – including about 300 children – have been allocated rooms in hotels as a last resort.

Overall, just over 2,000 local authority housing units – or 8 per cent – out of a total of 25,600 flats in the Dublin City Council area are vacant.

Many of these vacant flats are to be demolished as part of a redevelopment scheme.

“They are not habitable or capable of being rendered habitable without significant expenditure.

“Any attempt to do so will undermine the planned redevelopment schemes,” said a council report,

About 1,000 vacant flats are either scheduled for major refurbishment work or described as “casual voids” which are awaiting new tenants

Many of these will come on stream as part of a series of renovations and fast-tracking of the allocation of homes.

In an effort to phase out the use of hotel beds across the capital, the council is in talks with Nama and other State agencies over the use of a large property where families could get support until more sustainable housing is in place.

The Office of Public Works is among the agencies being asked to source State-owned property to use for either social housing or homeless shelters.

The Irish Times understands that Fitzgibbon Street Garda station in Dublin’s north inner city is one of the buildings being examined. It has been empty for a number of years due to safety concerns.

Another property is St Bricin’s Military Hospital near Arbour Hill, which is used by the Irish Defence Forces as a medical facility.

A third property based on Clare Lane – between the National Gallery of Ireland and an annex of the Department of Transport – has the potential to be converted into eight apartments.

The cost of refurbishing or converting the facilities is likely to be significant, while there is also a risk that some may get bogged down in wrangling over ownership.

In the case of Clare Lane, for example, OPW officials estimate it could cost up to €150,000 to bring the building into “productive use”, according to internal correspondence.

The OPW confirmed that the Clare Lane building was under consideration but declined to provide details of the buildings it is examining.

“All stakeholders – OPW, Dublin City Council and the Department of Environment as the lead department – are in consultation and assessing the suitability of all of the properties under consideration,” it said.

Dublin: Installing Spikes Is Treating Homeless Rough Sleepers As Vermin

THE Government agency with responsibility for public buildings has said it had no knowledge of "anti-homeless" sleeping spikes outside a Department of Social Welfare office.

The Office of Public Works (OPW) said that the building, on Lower Hatch Street in Dublin city, was rented and the grounds were run by a private company.

The spikes, which act as a deterrent to rough sleepers, had been placed on top of steps in front of a fenced-off door. However, last month they were removed by anti-homelessness campaigners.  www.pmvtrust.ie

Fr Peter McVerry, who runs a trust to tackle homelessness, said that he was very concerned to hear about the appearance of the spikes.

Negative

"I'm absolutely disgusted by them. In general they send a message to homeless people that we don't want you, we don't want to deal with you, we just want you to go away," he told the Herald.

"I would be particularly worried that it sends a very negative message to homeless people."

"Most homeless people are homeless through no fault of their own and instead of these spikes we should be pressuring the Government to actually deal with homelessness," he added.

When the Herald tried to enquire who was responsible for the spikes and if they would be reinstalled, no party was willing to take responsibility.

A spokesperson for the Department of Social Protection said that it was the OPW that dealt with public buildings.

But a spokesperson for the OPW said that the property was privately owned and leased, with property management company HWBC responsible its condition.

HWBC declined to comment and referred queries back to the OPW.

Bryan Kelly, who works in the area, says that he was disgusted when he noticed the spikes.

He said: "The door is unused, and since it's blocked by plants and metal bars, it could hardly be argued that it's a fire exit and so needs to be kept clear of 'obstructions'."

There was anger in the UK earlier this summer, when it emerged that the spikes had been used outside a number of private businesses and in public areas.

London Mayor Boris Johnson even became embroiled in the controversy when he called for the spikes to be removed from an area. He called them "stupid".

LONDON: Council chiefs are being urged to launch an investigation after metal spikes were installed outside a luxury block of London flats to deter homeless people from sleeping in the doorway.

The inch-high studs in the main entrance to the deluxe privately owned apartments in Southwark Bridge Road have provoked outrage as homelessness charities slammed the "inhumane" practice.

The spikes, which are thought to have been installed in the past month, are in a sheltered alcove opposite a hostel for homeless people with mental health problems.

Controversy grew over the weekend after a picture of the metal spikes was posted online, sparking outrage from people who compared them to the spikes used to keep birds away from buildings. David Wells said on Twitter: "These Anti homeless studs are like the spikes they use to keep pigeons off buildings. The destitute [are] now considered vermin."

By Saturday night a petition to remove the studs was approaching 1,000 signatures and several people had lodged formal complaints with Southwark council.

Katharine Sacks-Jones, head of policy and campaigns at homelessness charity Crisis, said: "It is a scandal that anyone should sleep on the streets in 21st-century Britain. Yet over the last three years rough sleeping has risen steeply across the country and by a massive 75% in London.

"Behind these numbers are real people struggling with a lack of housing, cuts to benefits and cuts to homelessness services to help them rebuild their lives. They might have suffered a relationship breakdown, a bereavement or domestic abuse. They deserve better than to be moved on to the next doorway along the street. We will never tackle rough sleeping with studs in the pavement. Instead we must deal with the causes."

www.channel4.com/news/londons-anti-homeless-spikes-criticised 

A spokeswoman for Southwark council said it would look into any official complaints but that there was little it could do unless the studs were in breach of planning regulations.

Councillor Peter John, leader of the council, said: "Southwark council is aware of concerns raised regarding the installation of spikes outside a privately owned building on Southwark Bridge Road to prevent rough sleeping.

"The council can look into health and safety or planning concerns that are reported to us. With regards to people sleeping rough the council has a dedicated officer who works closely with organisations like St Mungo's [a homelessness charity], who have a 'no second night out' policy to ensure rough sleepers are found shelter and support."

HOMELESS IN LONDON ? HELPLINES: www.mungosbroadway.org.uk &  www.streetlink.org.uk
OR Call: 0300 500 0914