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The group of ICHH volunteers in Dublin city centre. Orla Dwyer via TheJournal.ie

'I am worried about the cold - it kills me': A night on duty with a Dublin homeless charity

TheJournal.ie spent an evening with an outreach team helping homeless people in the city centre.

MIDNIGHT, BENEATH THE Christmas lights on Dublin’s Henry Street. 

On what’s traditionally the main shopping street on the northside of the city, scores of homeless people line shop doorways – many in sleeping bags and on top of cardboard mattresses.

TheJournal.ie recently spent an evening walking the streets of Dublin city at night with the outreach team at Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH) – a charity that provides services to homeless people in Dublin.  

The group, led by campaigner-turned councillor Anthony Flynn, head out on supply runs every night of the week – split into three or four teams, who travel set routes around different areas of the city. 

Volunteers usually spend one night a week helping out with the charity. They arrive at the ICHH office on Amiens Street by around 10pm and prepare to head out wearing backpacks filled with warm clothes, scarves, underwear and socks.

One person in each team pulls a trolley with sandwiches, boiling water, chocolate, crisps, instant noodles and bottles of water.

The volunteers head out in groups of four or five and stop at each person they find sleeping rough to offer a helping hand.

A volunteers asks if the person has somewhere to stay and if they don’t, they’re added to the tally of rough sleepers.

Lisa, Adrienne, Peter, Maria and team leader Neil Shanahan head out to the route covering areas like Talbot Street, Henry Street and some of the northside quays.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie as we walk, Shanahan says he counted 72 people on this route about two months ago, the most he has seen in his three years as a volunteer. 

“By the end, we didn’t even have cups left. We had emptied the flasks completely.”

He adds: “It’s very hard to predict but I really don’t see [the homeless situation] getting any better.”

IMG_6850 Two group members getting bags ready before heading out for the night. Orla Dwyer Orla Dwyer

On this night, the group didn’t run out of cups – but the bag of sugar had been scraped clean.

Most people we meet ask for either chocolate or a cup of tea with at least one spoon of sugar. 

“Especially if they’re on heroin, sugar is a big thing for picking them back up… The worst I have seen is a girl who asked for 16 sugars in her tea,” says Shanahan. 

Over 10,500 people across the country are living in homelessness, according to the latest government figures. However, this does not include rough sleepers. It counts those living in emergency accommodation in hotels, B&Bs and family hubs. 

Many people sleeping rough in the city centre do so because they are reluctant to sleep overnight in an emergency hostel due to fears of violence, along with other reasons. 

Among those sleeping rough, there is also a significant rate of substance abuse. Studies showed the proportion of people who had become homeless primarily as a result of drug and/or alcohol addiction was just under 40% in 2013

Many of those sleeping rough in the city have incredibly complex underlying mental health issues.

According to the Irish director of services with homeless charity Depaul Dermot Murphy, the organisation has noticed a “growing drug problem” among homeless people who use their services. 

“The reality is we need to be providing more health interventions and giving people the platform to change their drug consumption,” Murphy said in a statement last month. 

Temperatures dropping 

The hot drinks were welcomed on this particular night as temperatures hovered just a few degrees above freezing. 

“What I worry about is the cold – that’s the thing that kills them. Rain never really killed anyone,” says Shanahan. 

Donated clothes and new pairs of socks and underwear are given out to people along the way. When it comes to socks, people generally look for white pairs. 

“What I’ve been told is that they ask for white socks because the thread doesn’t stick to their feet or discolour them as much,” explains Shanahan. 

We come across Peter sleeping outside a shop on Henry Street. He is propped up on some large sheets of cardboard and lying inside a sleeping bag. 

He’s been homeless for two months in Dublin, he says – but doesn’t want to chat for long. A volunteer hands him some tea and the group continues on the route. 

By 11.50pm, we have counted 15 men and 3 women – a low figure compared to most nights at this stage, the volunteers say. Other nights, there could often be as many as nine people around the Abbey Street Luas stop alone and up to 12 near the Ilac centre.  

IMG_6859 One of the volunteers Peter pulling along the trolley filled with supplies. Orla Dwyer / TheJournal.ie Orla Dwyer / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

“I would think we need a long-term better solution to this – but it’s all wishful thinking,” Shanahan says of the housing crisis. 

“I’ll believe it when I see it.”

On the night we went out with ICCH, the homeless figures for October had not yet been released. They were eventually published on 3 December – Tuesday of this week – and showed a total of 10,514 homeless people across the country. 

That was an increase of 117 on September’s figures, which Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy said “was expected following the introduction of new emergency beds in the Dublin region recently”.

Anthony Flynn of ICCH said in the wake of the publication of the October homelessness figures that the situation is “completely out of control”.

The Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) has made 156 extra beds available for the past month until the end of December on a phased basis. 

Other plans for winter include increased staffing on outreach services by the Dublin Simon Community and the DRHE rough sleeper support team. There are also more emergency beds and support measures on hand in case of extreme weather events.  

Getting ready for Christmas 

The ICHH volunteers say they are also preparing for the continuing winter months, the charity’s busiest time of year. 

Says Shanahan: “Trying to judge how it’s going to be each night is impossible, so you’ve zero chance for a whole month.

The problem with the last couple of years, is that we haven’t had our worst weather in December, that’s been in February and March, which has been a real kick in the teeth. 

IMG_6865 The volunteers finishing up for the night on Amiens Street. Orla Dwyer / TheJournal.ie Orla Dwyer / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

Wayne, who has been homeless for around six months, takes a few minutes to talk outside Store Street Garda Station. He has spent the past couple of hours wandering the streets and is heading into the station in search of warmth. 

Three other homeless men are inside – one wrapped in a sleeping bag huddled by the door, one staring out the window and a third lying near the desk. 

In order to get some shelter, Wayne tells us he spends his days travelling between counties like Dublin, Wexford and Galway on public transport. 

“I’ve been going around because I’ve no address anymore and I can’t get any money,” he says. 

“I’m on the trains and buses just to keep myself bloody warm.” he says, adding that he’s always treated kindly by transport workers. 

“I’ve so many friends – I know a lot of people working on the trains and everyone working on the buses because I’m always on them,” he says.

Asked how he’s feeling about the coming winter months he says: “I am worried about the cold. It kills me.”

As we head back towards the office at about 12.45am, we find a crowd of four of five people near Connolly Station. The team begin to distribute food.  

One of the volunteers Peter says they “rarely see people that young”, gesturing to the group of three who have just approached the team. They look no older than 16. 

Wrapping up

At the end of the night, Shanahan says it was unusually quiet. “Overall, it was good simply because there wasn’t a great deal of numbers.”

A total of 67 rough sleepers were counted in the three areas covered by the volunteers that night. 38 were on the route we covered.  

wrap up for the night The count sheet at the end of the night. Orla Dwyer / TheJournal.ie Orla Dwyer / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

The official government rough sleeper count carried out two nights prior confirmed 92 people sleeping rough across the Dublin region. This compares to 152 this time last year. 

“By and large, people are so grateful to you when you meet them,” says Shanahan. “Some of the things they would say would nearly reduce you to tears.” 

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51 Comments
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    Mute lavbeer
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 1:43 PM

    It’s hard to believe that the author didn’t mention that pro independent parties between them were a couple of percent short of 50%.

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    Mute Skinnerbot
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 4:26 PM

    @lavbeer: did they not take 70 out of 135 seats? Which is 52% of the seats by my maths?

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    Mute lavbeer
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 4:48 PM

    @Skinnerbot: yes this wasn’t a referendum – but a popular vote wouldn’t have been passed. More voted for non-independence parties. The article unless the author was pushing an agenda should have stated such a basic fact. Imho- I am no expert.

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    Mute Skinnerbot
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 4:56 PM

    @lavbeer: same with trump no? It’s quite trivial in a way given it led to 52% of the seats. Only 1 in every 3 votes agree with Fine Gaels policies here, funny thing democracy

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    Mute lavbeer
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 10:15 PM

    @Skinnerbot: true enough but if it was a referendum it wouldn’t have carried.

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    Mute lavbeer
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    Dec 23rd 2017, 6:18 AM

    @Declan Hegarty: bottom line is that three pro independence parties got 47.5 of the vote a few months after getting over 90 in a referendum that SF didn’t call out as being flawed (other than the actions of the Spanish police). Did they miss something?

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    Mute Donal Hanley
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    Dec 24th 2017, 12:28 PM

    @lavbeer:
    The headline is not just misleading. It is incorrect.

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 1:51 PM

    Without a change to the Spanish Constitution, Catalonia could a popular vote of 100% for independence and legally it would mean nothing. It would be like Cork voting unanimously to repeal the 8th amendment. Without a referenda the vote would not be legal. As in Spain any Constitutional changes require a national referendum.

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    Mute Seán Ó Briain
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 2:54 PM

    @Mick Jordan: Cork isn’t an autonomous region with its own parliament, language and culture. There is a precedent set for nationhood. Catalonia meets all of them.

    So your comparison to Cork is not remotely relevant.

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    Mute Thomas Harrington
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 3:03 PM

    @Seán Ó Briain: says you! Totally has its own language does Cork

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 3:11 PM

    @Seán Ó Briain: Cork has a County Council which is elected, it can pass local by-laws, can raise finances through rates etc so it is very relevant as it is nothing more than a smaller version of the Catalan Parliament,. Catalonia’s Parliament is subservient to the National Parliament in Madrid as are all the other regional governments in Spain. Catalonia agreed to and signed up to the Spanish Constitution and is now legally obliged to abide by that Constitution.

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    Mute Seán Ó Briain
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 3:46 PM

    @Mick Jordan: Cork County Council is not comparable to the levels of autonomy that the Catalan parliament had. Nor is Cork as an area comparable for a claim of statehood that Catalonia has.

    Scotland signed up the the union (albeit on questionable circumstances), and were still afforded a vote on independence. The UK had the courage to allow them one in the spirit of democracy. Spain doesn’t have similar levels of faith in its union.

    If the majority of the people in Catalonia aspire for independence, that desire should be acknowledge by the Spanish government.

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    Mute lavbeer
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 4:20 PM

    @Seán Ó Briain: Catalonia signed up to this constitution only 40 years ago. And the result clearly shows there isn’t an overall desire to break off. Gunther and his ilk need to step back and start convincing their own people and get a 60-65 which would give them a platform. The 90% “referendum”‘was shown as a farce – endorsed by the SF people on the ground also.

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 4:33 PM

    @Seán Ó Briain: What claim of Statehood does Catalonia have. It was never a nation in its own right. It was previously an integral part of the Kingdom of Aragon, prior to that part of the Frankish kingdom of Charlemagne and before that a part of a Roman Frontier Provence. And now is an integral part of the Spanish State. In 1975 Catalans agreed to and signed up to all the terms and conditions of the Spanish Constitution. And one of those conditions was that the Spanish State as it currently is, is indivisible. And now that some Catalans wish to change that, they must seek a change in the Spanish Constitution (that they are a signatory to) to legally allow cessation.

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    Mute Seán Ó Briain
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 4:49 PM

    @Mick Jordan: ” What claim of Statehood does Catalonia have.”

    What claim does any arbitrary piece of land and people have to statehood? Catalonia has its own language, its own parliament, its own culture – and the wish for the majority of the people living there to be independent.

    Borders are dynamic. They change over time. At present, the people within the recognised borders of the region of Catalonia wish to be independent. That’s a pretty valid claim. And if Spain actually had the courage to allow them a referendum without using political violence to crack down on them – we would be able to answer that question once and for all.

    This whole argument is going over your head. It’s a waste of time and energy to repeat it ad nauseum with you.

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 5:05 PM

    @Seán Ó Briain: It has its own Parliament because the Nation of Spain permits it to have it just as the Dail here permits County and City Councils. But they, as with the Catalonian Parliament are only there at the sufferance of the National Parliment. And the results of the vote are also clear 51.5% of the Popular vote was for Spanish Unity with the Independence Vote receiving 48.5%.

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    Mute @mdmak33
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 2:20 PM

    Independence vote has been justified,but like brexit,the EU elites will do their best to block it.

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    Mute lavbeer
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 2:28 PM

    @@mdmak33: justified by getting less than 50% ? How do you make that out?

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    Mute Thomas Harrington
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    Dec 23rd 2017, 8:35 AM

    @lavbeer: to be fair the main leaders of the Independence Party are locked up or in exile and the Spanish govt shut down pro independence newspapers and websites / so the result is an amazing one / viva Cataluyna!

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    Mute Fiona deFreyne
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 2:04 PM

    This referendum result may now enable sensible negotiations to commence.

    Any attempted secession lacks legitimacy. There is now good reason for each side to engage meaningfully with the other, mediated by a third party broker.

    There are degrees of autonomy. There is plenty of scope for a solution.

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 2:20 PM

    @Fiona deFreyne: Even if the Central Government wanted to allow Catalonian Independence, it is not legally in their power to grant it. It is a Constitutional issue. And that requires a national referendum to alter the part that states “All of Spain is indivisible”, to allow regions to ceceed. So Catalonian Independence is a pipe dream unless the Constitution is changed.

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    Mute Pat Cbar
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 7:11 PM

    @Mick Jordan: by that reckoning we should still be part of the UK.

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    Mute Mick Jordan
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 8:25 PM

    @Pat Cbar: How do you make that out? We, Scotland, or Wales never agreed to or signed up to a UK constitution declaring that the UK is or was indivisible. Hence the Scottish Independence Referndum. When Ireland was part of the UK it was only so by a Parlimentry Act (Enacted by Henry VIII an English King) in which we Irish had no hand or act in. Catalonia on the other hand was an original part of the Kingdom of Aragon that United with the Kingdom of Castille to form what we now know as modern Spain. And after the death of Franco when a new constitution was being written with the input from every region of Spain, Catalonia agreed with and signed up to that new Consitution. Now that 48.5% of the Catalonian population desire independence does not negate the Constitution they signed.

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    Mute lavbeer
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 1:54 PM

    Did Puigdemont or Junqueras run in this election? 70 out of 135 maybe 68 if they can’t show – still a majority barely. The case for independence wasn’t confirmed despite actions of the police and Madrid government plus a high turnout. breathing space is needed. Maybe it’s time for reconciliation of some sort?

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    Mute lavbeer
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 4:49 PM

    @lavbeer: of anyone know?

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    Mute Anthony Byrne
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 2:00 PM

    This can only end badly.

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    Mute Stephen Maher
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    Dec 22nd 2017, 1:49 PM

    Separatists?

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    Mute Cian Omahony Snr
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    Dec 23rd 2017, 2:24 AM

    how can say this without being attacked..as a sports fan i love Barca..and i am trying to understand the whole situation from both sides ..but the leader says i demand the UN. Maybe i am totally wrong ,why not say ” I ask”does it alway have to be agressive speak…there is so much agression in the world..I am gettiing old and still naive to think that we can have a beautiful world ..maybe we can

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