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.
ALLEGED UNFAIR TREATMENT by staff, harassment from other residents and infestations are just some of the issues people living in homeless emergency accommodation in Dublin say that they face.
Documents released to Noteworthy under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act detail complaints raised by homeless people living in state-funded accommodation with Dublin City Council between July 2019 and June this year. This includes homeless hostels, private hotels and B&Bs.
Our colleagues at Noteworthy want to probe the cost of emergency accommodation around the country. See how you can make this investigation happen here.
During this period, the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) received 46 complaints from service users or from NGOs on their behalf. Some complaints listed multiple issues, with alleged unfair treatment from staff and conditions in facilities topping the list.
https://public.flourish.studio/visualisation/3557180/
The complaints revealed here are similar to others reported previously. Documents released to TheJournal.ie in recent years revealed claims of cockroach infestations, blocked toilets, leaking ceilings, drinking and smoking in accommodation, and fire issues.
Once a complaint is received, a line manager at the service used by the individual making the complaint is contacted to investigate the matter and respond to the complainant within 21 working days.
While in previous years the DRHE released redacted copies of complaints with more granular detail, Noteworthy was this time only provided with a statistical breakdown of cases with a brief summary of the nature of the complaints.
The DRHE told Noteworthy that it recently changed policy so as to better protect the identities of service users. “We conducted a review of our approach to releasing complaints related data in 2019, in light of GDPR and in consultation with our Law Department,” it said.
“It was agreed at that time that in order to ensure the privacy and safety of all clients, (both complainants and the subjects of complaints) and to ensure all confidential details of staff and accommodation facilities are protected, that we would no longer release the text of complaints, including redacted text.”
Decline in homeless figures
In July 2020, 8,728 individuals were in emergency accommodation, a small increase since June that had marked the fifth month in a row that numbers using this service has fallen. Within this cohort were 6,077 adults and 2,651 children, including 1,142 families.
According to the Department of Housing, 1,467 adults and their dependents exited homelessness in April, May and June during the height of the Covid-19 outbreak during which time a moratorium on evictions and rent freezes were introduced.
The Simon Communities has said that the decrease was largely driven by the recent moratorium and the collaboration of NGOs, local authorities and the HSE to use existing housing stock to support people to move out of homelessness.
Charities have voiced concern that there will be an increase in homelessness following the decision to remove these protections for most households at the start of August.
Speaking last week, Focus Ireland CEO Pat Dennigan said that the moratorium on evictions and rent freezes “clearly worked” as the number of children and adults who are homeless reduced significantly over the summer months.
“Since the lapse of the initial ban on evictions and rent reviews, our services are now meeting tenants who are facing notices of terminations and evictions which is deeply concerning,” he added.
THIS HOSTEL LIFE
Noteworthy wants to look at every local authority in the country and find out how they are dealing with homelessness in their areas and analyse how much is being spent on hotels, B&Bs, and guesthouses right around the country.
Have you had a personal experience of emergency accommodation that you would like to share? You can contact the team at information@noteworthy.ie
Here’s how to support this proposal >
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
As a working class citizen of this country I fully expect to get FKD by the budget.
Why? It’s clear those who get up early to work will benefit
@Peter Barnwallace: I must change my shift hours to benefit from this early morning increment you made up.
@Peter Barnwallace: since when? I’ve yet to benefit from any budget from this government yet. What they give you in one hand they take in another.
That clown is a troll. It constantly gaslights people.
Working class person don’t get anything worth talking about as usual
@Peter Barnwallace: Well said Leo….except it those who got up early were screwed by taxes and austerity..It was those who got up early and every citizen even those on social welfare and the most vulnerable who had medical cards removed to pay the price of the gangsterism of the banks facilated by the same political parties that are in government. It was FG that welcomed and gave tax brakes to Vulture companies ,long before they decided those who get up early should get something back.. WHAT ever brake they get is not an increase, just a bit that they lost out on through the years..Your buddies in FG also had no problem in giving the banks a tax brake for the next 20 years…The same banks who told your buddies Harris and McGrath to F..k off.
@Peter Barnwallace: when did this happen?
Why do we expect the govt to do everything for us. It’s your life, your responsibility. Get up and do something about it. Don’t sit around waiting for handouts.
Have to say the various energy credits last year were generous and really helped to take the sting out of the bills.
Energy credits wouldn’t be needed of the government did their job and stopped the energy companies from unnecessarily fleecing its customers
That’s true they were very helpful. But the government could have stopped it ever getting to that. While they helped us they still rode us afterwards with the other high bills.
@: these credits were our money and it was been give straight to the energy companies which have had astronomical profits . Our failed government would have been better regulating the price . The only winners in credits are the energy companies.
Another moment where FFG failed to look after the people of Ireland but made sure the corp got theirs ..
What they give with one hand they take with the other. Landlords still being looked after I see. Especially the international ones. The housing crisis not even being given a sticking plaster. Keep the status quo at all costs. Throw us a few crumbs.
The housing crisis is caused by a lack of building which in turn is because we don’t have enough builders.
They all left or re trained after the Celtic crash when they got screwed over, couldn’t even get the dole. Add in the fact that young guys were not taking it up since.
No political party, FF, FG, SF, PBP or even the National party will solve that inside the next decade, probably a lot more.
I’m voting for SF although they are not my natural home but we need change.
Unfortunately, even with the best of intention they, or anyone else cannot magic up builders out of thin air.
@P.J. Nolan: Indeed we do need change. It will take a long time to resolve the current issues. Sooner we start though. Thankfully SF are motivated to build social and real affordable housing. Good well paid jobs can be created from large building projects. Unfortunately the current cohort in government and their voters are only interested in financial profiteering from home ownership. I’m a ‘homeowner’. Well the bank still owns it. But it’s wrong that so many are being fleeced by landlords and their crazy rents.
@P.J. Nolan: The need for housing was highlighted back in 2011 when it was reported that we needed 30k completions per year until 2026. FGs inaction on housing policy has a lot to answer for. They were just happy to bend over for the REITs. Now we’re 250,000 dwellings in the hole. A housing minister, with all his advisers, should have foreseen this and lured people back to construction, especially as it was highlighted back then. Now we’re all suffering again because of the failings of FF/FG.
@another one? what’s going on is the semi state sec:
We didn’t leave the bailout untill 2013, if you think any Irish government would have been able to go cap in hand to the IMF etc looking for billions to build houses on the back of a building market crash you are dreaming.
The Celtic tiger builders were long gone by the end of 2009 at the latest, when there is no money coming in you don’t hang around in hope.
The notion that any government could have or is going to lure people back to construction is also a pipe dream.
We have long memories.
The government has a target of 10,000 apprenticeships per year, they are nowhere near it.
And the number is falling.
That said, FG and FF were welded to the idea of market lead housing for far too long.
@another one? what’s going on is the semi state sec:
I believe SF will shift the focus even more to social housing, not a bad thing, but it will come at an eye-watering cost. The only way that can be done in the short or medium term will be making it more profitable for the builders to work on social housing than private, thus reducing the number of private housing built and increasing the number of people who need social housing.
Around around we go.
@P.J. Nolan: ah a vote for change. How refreshing? You can have good changes and bad changes though – just ask the folks who voted Brexit through because they felt like a change was needed.
If there’s an election soon then expect it to be a give away budget for votes
@Keego: Will be over a year away as they want to feather their nests more before their eviction. Next Budget will be a real attempted bribe to electorate. Waving our own money at us.
What was their reason for the massive giveaway budget last year then?
@Keego: there’s a budget every year
@Gearoid MacEachaidh: It wasn’t really tbh. They creamed it from high taxes on the huge rise in energy costs. They were saving face from mass demonstrations. Temporary bribes to keep the sheep in order.
@Gearoid MacEachaidh: giveaway budget? I didnt get anything from last year’s budget or the 5 before that
@Gearoid MacEachaidh: what massive give away budget are you referring to??
@M Ryan: this is a response to all of the above. People are saying this is a budget to buy votes. But last year’s budget was the biggest in the history of the state. Some people are say they didn’t get anything, I guess they gave back their ekectricy credits or something, but that’s besides the point. The fact is (and facts are important) that last year’s budget was the biggest ever and if this year’s smaller budget is to “buy votes” what was the reason for last years? The only sheep are the people that think the rest of us are sheep. Some of us are capable of critical thinking.
It’s high time those who keep this country get a solid budget! Sizeable increase in 20% band, reduce top rate remove/reduce usc, increase tax credits, reduce VAT, reduce excise at the pumps. No giving from one hand only to take with the other. No more smoke and mirrors. 16 years of being fleeced needs to end now.
Taxing vaping is a terrible idea. It will further conflate it with smoking and discourage more smokers from quitting tobacco. They need to follow the science not Google misinformation. Here’s NHS advice.https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/vaping-to-quit-smoking/vaping-myths-and-the-facts/
@NoelDublin: Agree. It’s just another side tax to fleece the poor. They could tax the huge multinationals who are making huge profits from destroying our environment with data centres etc. But that’s very unlikely.
@NoelDublin: Everyone who wants to berate former smokers for vaping should click this link. If it wasn’t for e-cigarettes I would still be smoking 20 a day. I can’t stand the smell or taste of tobacco anymore though so rely on a practically flavourless one called sapphire. It’s not fruity or sugary so I would hope it the plan is to ban flavoured vapes that they don’t target these types of oils too just because they are not tobacco.
Reduction in the collage fees is a big step for a lot of people
@Bren: Can be expensive putting a good Collage together in fairness.
@Bren: not enough of a step anyone wishing to pursue master’s degrees get no help unless they and their parents earned under 25000 because my daughter worked while waiting on her course we were over the limit she’s had to take on a €12000 toward fees and accommodation because she wants to better her chances at a good job she’d get help if it was a stem subject but if we continue to push everyone into stem orientated jobs the market will be over flooded
Hi. We’re FFFG. We can’t help you very much, because we’ve mismanaged everything to the point of collapse. So, sure, you can’t pay your electricity bill, but it’s not our fault, because we’ve spent generations mismanaging the health services. I mean c’mon, the world’s 80th worst healthcare system didn’t happen accidentally. That took years of work. And yes, when you destroy a healthcare system through mismanagement, it’ll cost everyone. Sometimes a few hundred million. Sometimes a billion.
So don’t blame us, we’re just the victims of FFFG. Just like you.
Out out out with these con artists.
@Paul H:
And in with the new ones.
MM said in 2014 we need to abolish the USC charge 10 years later were still paying for it,, then you have people on the dole getting bonuses (double payment), shocking,, there is jobs out there.
We need change in government not saying it’s gonna change anything, but ffg have destroyed this country and they need to be replaced
Importers of steel etc, now have to pay a carbon import tax and have to show the carbon footprint of the company who makes the steel or they will be fined by tonnage ,its another tax that hits people directly because the price of steel etc, will rise in price and passed on to the people, it’s just becoming tax,tax tax
Remember this from the Journal:
“Apart from the impact on family and lives, there is an ongoing cost to Irish society in general. Research would show that the socio-economic cost to Ireland each year is €1.8 billion.
“Reasonable estimates show that 15% of adults getting treated by the Mental Health service with the HSE will have undiagnosed ADHD. We, as a society are overpaying for ignoring this condition and we will continue to pay €1.8bn each year till we do pay attention to it” he said.
Mismanagement = waste and fraud
And we keep voting for it.
Sure the usc is only around 2 euro to the normal working person.
@xmasbride: It really is just giving us breadcrumbs. USC take last year was approx 5 billion. Income tax take last year was 8 billion more than in 2019. Why is it needed at all other than to expand departmental budgets and waste taxpayers money……. When we talk about the greed of big businesses the Irish govt are one of the biggest offenders….. then throw on top of it the incompetence and mismanagement.
The question “what can we expect” – very poor value decisions for taxpayers and their monies. Government have a zero record of getting any value for money in any pursuit. The migrant spend is 4 bn per annum now and growing by the day. The total national spend to run ireland is just slightly over 100 bn. Nobody asking the hard questions. The 4bn sits pretty large against a budget package of 6.5bn as mentioned in the article. What would an extra 4bn do for the various causes that need government attention? No debate allowed on priorities for spending etc. To put the 4bn into context, Irelands total education budget is 9bn
And they’re off!
And Free Flip Flops for everybody in the audience!!!
The sun, moon and stars.
Doesnt look like it will be anything to get excited about really. Some big gesture for the working people would be gratefully received!
Oh now comments are open !!!
Help the landlords great ideaa especially td/landlords….corrupt.
Justice for Enoch
Again, nothing really for low paid workers who will gain very little from the tax band and usc nothing for wfp with a lot on this payment being single parents of children over 7 paying out money for secondary schools and nothing for post graduate students many who get €4000 off their fees of €6000+ no maintenance and need to come up with nearly 12,000 for accommodation and fees yes you’ll see a raise in minimum wage which will actually take some out of the wfp with no added support as I minimum wage worker my income went down by €40 this year with the increase in minimum wage last year with no child dependent on wfp my btwfd havled to €25 and will be gone early next year I know qith the wage increase I will be worse off unless they address that their putting us further into proverty
Why not pay the fuel allowance directly to the publicans. It’s where the majority of it goes
have your say