COUNCIL RESPONDS TO SAN REMO CONCERNS
OFFICIALS TREATED HOMELESS SHELTER PROJECT AS ‘AN EMERGENCY’. MARY FOGARTY REPORTS.
MEMBERS of Bray Municipal District received a briefing from council officials on Friday morning about plans to put a homeless shelter into the former San Remo nursing home on Sidmonton Road.
They discussed with officials the concerns expressed to them by some local residents, who were primarily objecting to the fact that they had not been informed about the facility.
‘ The eight local councillors were not given any advance information on this proposal and were only informed about it by the council management after their offer to the vendor was accepted and immediately prior to the issuing of a press statement to that effect,’ said Cllr Joe Behan.
It was agreed that a response from the council management to the questions raised by residents would be issued to each person who contacted them about their concerns. Members have also agreed to meet three representatives of the local residents this week by Zoom.
‘I fully support this project as I believe it is urgently needed,’ said Cllr Behan.
‘We have a responsibility to ensure the provision of homeless services at all times but particularly in times of severe homelessness and in this time of serious global health emergency.’
He said that he would have preferred if a proper public consultation process and consultation with councillors had taken place.
‘We were informed that the management treated this project as an emergency and as such were entitled to use and did use emergency powers to progress the proposal.’
Cllr Behan said that he looks forward to working with residents, prospective clients of the service, council management, his councillor colleagues, the Simon Community, the Gardaí and other local agencies ‘ to ensure that this facility is carefully and successfully managed and in time to come, be accepted as an integral part of the local community’.
In their report to members of Bray Municipal District, officials said that their aim was to address the accommodation and support needs of a particular homeless cohort.
This group was identified from the presenting population and those currently known to and accessing homeless services in Bray and north Wicklow.
Key support work undertaken with clients accessing the Cold Weather Initiative, also further identified clients in need of supported accommodation.
‘Wicklow County Council’s Homeless Team continuously links in with clients who have no shelter available to them other than the Cold Weather Initiative for a portion of the year as they require such supported accommodation,’ said officials.
Since the closure of Brighton Terrace in Bray in 2015,which provided unsupported accommodation for homeless individuals, and the acknowledgement that a supported homeless facility was required in Bray, the council has actively been seeking such a facility.
From 2018, Wicklow County Council tried to progress development plans for a development at the Novara Avenue site, which was for sale and was being leased for the Cold Weather Initiative.
As recently as March 9, the matter was discussed further with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. The proposed development costs for this homeless accommodation were significant and further work was to be done to bring the initial design towards approval stage. However, towards the end of March, and with the Covid 19 crisis increasing the urgency of the requirement for a suitable fit for purpose accommodation, the council was made aware of two properties in Bray for sale on the open market that seemed suitable for a supported homeless facility, and would achieve the same outcomes for less than half the cost of the original proposal, and much earlier.
Following viewing of both, it was agreed that the property at 14 Sidmonton Road was the most suitable.
The property was set back from the road, with adequate staff parking and the configuration of the building lent itself more easily to management of the varying levels of supported accommodation. The building on Meath Road was not as suitable as it bordered more than one property, had limited parking facilities and the configuration was not as suitable to requirements.
The Cold Weather initiative in the Parochial Hall is a dormitory setting , with a capacity of 12.
The impact of Covid-19 on the Cold Weather Initiative clients and the need to provide for self isolation if required, necessitated reducing service users to 10 and reconfiguring the space with screens, which is not sustainable to ensure compliance with the guidelines.
There was an urgent need for safe accommodation and the purchase of San Remo was approved. The property is currently sale agreed and fit out costs are being assessed.
The long term plan is for a number of Cold Weather Initiative beds, Supported Temporary Accommodation Beds (STA) and a number of medium term high supported accommodation units and a number of long term high supported accommodation units.
There will be on site key-working support linking in with clients.
The operational model is not yet complete or agreed, as the physical structure will require some adaptation and this is only at preliminary design stage.
However, this will be based on successful models currently being operated on behalf of Wicklow County Council by Dublin Simon Community, which involve supported, temporary accommodation (STA) in keeping with the clients support needs.
The client base is homeless in the area and the provision of this service will significantly improve their day to day living situation.
For the immediate Covid-19 response, the facility will house up to 20 people, each with their own rooms day and night, and ease of access to sanitary and catering facilities.
Some minor works will be done ahead of that. Referrals will be made by gardai or the council homeless team and be assessed by the Simon Community.
While there will be 20 clients as part of the Covid-19 response, it is anticipated that overall around 30 clients will be accommodated in the long term.
According to the council, the accommodation service will be a 24-hour service for all homeless clients, as with all Dublin Simon Community services.
‘ The experience is that most clients return to their living accommodation by 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. at night and only leave during the day to attend relevant appointments and activities,’ they told members.
Dublin Simon Community support staff will be on site at all times with a minimum of two people on shift at any time.
Users will sign up to ‘rules and responsibilities’, and they will be encouraged to engage with other service providers to facilitate their move out of homelessness.
Clients will be allowed to have alcohol, within the Simon Community’s policies and procedures.
A neighbourhood management policy will include attending community forums, health and safety checks around the building, and attending promptly to any neighbourhood concerns or complaints.
This also includes the expectations of how the clients behave outside of the service.
Rules include no congregating outside in groups. No anti-social behaviour is accepted, and good conduct is expected within the local area.
Members heard on Friday that with regard to the current CWI, Dublin Simon Community have addressed any minor neighbourhood concerns immediately.
When Covid19 lock down occurred, Dublin Simon Community was obliged to operate a 24 hour service on the site which has only one internal hall for all clients to sleep in.
They have managed the service from 2 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends in a rota fashion.
They have two staff on shift at all times and are fully present on-site to manage any behaviours that occur.
Dublin Simon Community has tried in the past week to commence a gardening programme and are starting an art programme also to help the clients to pass the time constructively.
Warnings have been given after any unacceptable behaviour.
The development is exempt from planning permission, officials told members.
They said that residents were not informed as quick decisions had to be made regarding the purchase due both to the urgency of Covid-19 and the nature of property acquisitions on the open market.
RULES INCLUDE NO CONGREGATING OUTSIDE IN GROUPS, NO ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, AND GOOD CONDUCT IS EXPECTED IN THE LOCAL AREA