In a Sherrard Street drop-in centre Fr Peter McVerry talks about the
difficulties of homelessness in Dublin.
“People come to the city centre
because there’s a bit of life there,” he says. “Out in the suburbs
they’re anonymous, it’s boring and they’re not welcome. So the city
centre becomes a magnet for homeless people.”
Gerard Bowes,
formerly a homeless man, explains life on the streets. “You might go to
Merchants Quay to get a cup of tea and a bit of breakfast. Then later
you might go to Focus Ireland where you can get a complete meal and a
pot of tea. The rest of the time you’re just hanging around.”
Those
gathered in the smoking area of the McVerry Trust’s drop-in centre
would prefer if the services they needed were available in their local
areas.
Desmond Kane lives in a hostel off Gardiner Street. “I
Sellotape books around my chest like I did in prison,” he says. “Because
I don’t want to be stabbed . . . If you keep everyone in their own area
it’s going to cut down the problems.”
The city centre is where
most shelters, food kitchens and drug-treatment centres are.
“Many of
the best services for drug addiction and homelessness have been run by
Dublin City Council,” says Fr McVerry.
“Services should be more
dispersed but in some areas there’s huge local opposition. Fingal County
Council and South Dublin and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown have had a very
poor record of providing services for homeless people. So those people
come into the Dublin City Council area.”
Nowhere to go
Homeless
people would like more places to go by day, understanding from gardaí
and recognition of their humanity. They’re aware the Boardwalk,
Marlborough Street and Abbey Street are renowned for drug-dealing and
drunkenness, but have nowhere else to go.
“People complain about
homeless people and drug use being very visible in the inner city,” says
Fr McVerry. “And they’re right to complain. But instead of complaining
about the people, they should complain that services are failing to
address their needs. We should be eliminating homelessness, not just
moving it around.”