Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
THE DUBLIN SIMON Community says that the number of people sleeping rough in Dublin city increased by 26 per cent in the second quarter of 2011 compared with the same period last year.
Dublin Simon says it has increased the number of temporary emergency beds, including ‘crash’ mattresses, by almost 100 per cent between January 2010 and June 2011.
Launching is annual report for 2010 today, the organisation says that it is experiencing a surge in requests for sleeping bags from homeless people who are unable to access emergency accommodation.
Dublin Simon CEO Sam McGuinness said that of the 1,200 housing units promised to long-term homeless people last year, just 24 per cent were delivered.
“We accept that in the present economic uncertainty cuts are a fact of Irish life,” Mc Guinness said. “It is not wise or prudent to inflict further financial austerity in funding for homeless services and supports across the Dublin Region with an emerging demand tsunami in sight, causing more suffering to the very vulnerable.”
He said the charity is particularly reliant on its donors, who contributed over €860,000 last year. Its statutory funding fell €600,000 to €5.1 million in 2010.
McGuinness criticised the number of vacant premises in Dublin through 2010 amid the ongoing shortage of accommodation available for homeless people “despite [their] efforts to secure properties such as social letting, private accommodation, acquisitions and properties provided by approved housing bodies”.
Last year, a total of 2,532 homeless people accessed services through Dublin Simon, of which 80 per cent were male. The majority of people seeking assistance were aged between 31 and 49 (59 per cent), while 24 per cent were aged between 18 and 30.
McGuinness told TheJournal.ie that around 75 per cent of people in emergency accommodation have been homeless for at least a year, while 39 per cent have been homeless for five years.
“Normally in the summer time you wouldn’t expect to get demand like we’ve seen it [in 2011],” he said. “As the extra capacity has been put in place, it’s been consumed by more people coming off the streets.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Still the worst name for an app that I’ve heard. Hailo was a grand name.
@Mohanid Ragel: I think they got the idea for the name after reading something similar on walls in Derry.
@Mohanid Ragel: I herd that after the drivers didn’t paid the wanted to change it to “Ah Now”
@Mohanid Ragel: Wasn’t it called something else before it was Hailo?
@Mohanid Ragel:
As branding exercises go it was a spectacular screw up.
Hailo – fresh, includes reference to activity, unique, new word
To
MyTaxi – much worse, still says what it does, but you lose so much
To
Free Now – Are. You. Freaking. Kidding. Me. Possibly the worst move you could make. It’s full of ridicule, has no reference to the business, you’ve burned the goodwill you built up. Twice. Absolute disaster.
@Sequoia: When I first saw ‘Free Now’ I thought it was something to do with cable TV subscriptions – took a long time to figure out it was a taxi company (if that’s what it is).
This must be a great case study on ‘marketing disasters’ for students of marketing.
@Earth Traveller: I thought it was a ladies hygiene product.
I was in a taxi yesterday and the driver was nearly crying about the money he was owed
Happy it’s sorted
Maybe it might be a good idea to change the name to wait now!
Taxi game is fecked
‘People get their money paid early due to technical fault’ – a headline you’ll never see!
@Earth Traveller: You’ll never see it as it is unlikely that a technical fault could predict future taxi journeys to pay drivers before said journeys happened .
@Conall: Sure yesterday someone here was calling for a report of hospital figures for the year. People don’t seem to get it that you can’t have the yearly stats before the end of the year happens.
Anyway, glad the drivers had their money sorted out.
Free Now would have been a great name for a Free to air tv operation. Similar to Saorview
Why does a Private Company’s financial hiccup get 2 articles on the Journal? How is this National News…?
@Paul Casey: maybe because a lot of daxi drivers were not going to meet there bills
@Paul Casey: It’s probably not big news in Manchester.
@Paul Casey: Maybe because it was an event that happened across the nation and is interesting due to its controversial nature.
@Paul Casey: 14000 people not getting paid, should be enough of a reason.
have your say