Proposed new bylaws restricting or banning on-street services for homeless people could end up costing lives, a soup run volunteer has warned.
Dublin City Council are drafting a proposed new bylaw to end charitable groups’ ability to set up services, providing mostly hot food, for people queuing on the city’s streets.
The Taoiseach’s Taskforce for Dublin, which was published in October, recommended the introduction of bylaws to regulate these services.
The Taskforce said the model of on-street delivery in “high-profile locations” risks the “privacy, dignity and the safety of people using the service, attracts anti-social behaviour and drug dealing, and degrades the public realm”.
"Not enough"
On Newstalk Breakfast, Dublin-based soup run Friends Helping Friends spokesperson Glenda Harrington said if the real services were doing their jobs, the volunteer services wouldn’t be needed.
The “real” services are not “enough”, she said.
“Everything closes at four o'clock and once they're closed, homeless people don't have anywhere to go for warm clothes, a hot meal and some advice, some love, a hug,” Ms Harrington said.
"They don't have a choice"
Incidents of service users getting undressed to put on new clothes given to them by volunteers on the street have been reported.
Ms Harrington said “of course” there are incidents of antisocial behaviour but if the necessary services were there at nighttime, people wouldn’t have to get dressed on the street.
“They don't want to be getting undressed on the streets - they don't have a choice,” she said.
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Dublin City Council (DCC) was recently told by one of their senior housing officials that, according to a three-year-old report, it is unclear who is availing of these volunteer services.
According to this report, people using the soup runs are generally not the same people availing of homelessness services operated by DCC.
“That's not true,” Ms Harrington said.
“Now, look, there will be a percentage of people that aren't homeless [but] that just can't afford to eat - we have got that.
“But the majority of people that use my service would be homeless or in emergency accommodation, families in emergency accommodation, stuff like that.”
“Those services simply aren't there”
Ms Harrington agreed that services like hers are “better left with the experts”, but said “those services simply aren't there”.
“Now, look, they'll tell you that they are - but I can tell you different because I see it on a nightly basis on the streets,” she said.
"I mean, I'm dying [sick] at the moment, absolutely smothered, and if I didn't have to go out tonight, I wouldn't - but unfortunately, I do.”
Ms Harrington said if she and her service weren’t needed, she would stay at home.
A tent along the banks of the Liffey, Image: Sasko Lazarov / © RollingNews.ie
