Open the Aviva stadium for homeless, says fearful charity
A CHARITY is calling for the Aviva Stadium to become an isolation facility for Dublin’s homeless as they fear the spread of Covid-19 in cramped hostels and emergency accommodation.
Earlier this week, Inner City Helping Homeless (ICCH) proposed a list of directives to the Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy, including the temporary change of use for the stadium, but have yet to receive a response from his department.
According to ICCH’s Anthony Flynn, homeless services are operating under ‘unprecedented pressure’ and there is huge concern for the ability of those in hostels and emergency accommodation to self-isolate when the virus enters the system. He stressed the importance of isolating now, as many homeless people have severely compromised immune systems.
Speaking with the Irish Mail on Sunday, Mr Flynn said: ‘If people catch the virus in the system, isolating that person is going to be very difficult.
At the moment, homeless services are operating under unprecedented pressure. This is something that we’ve never seen before in terms of the level of action that is required and ensuring access to the available units is a major issue.
‘We suggested to the minister and Dublin Regional Homeless Executive that we should take over a hotel facility in full where we have “own room-own door” access to individuals across floors, rather than having six or seven people within one room.
‘One of the suggestions was that we take over the Aviva stadium; there’s plenty of rooms over there, massive corridors where people can isolate and it could be used as a defence mechanism or a barrier to stop the spread of the virus. These are ideas we’re putting forward they’re not being listened to in my opinion.’
Mr Flynn said the ICCH has particular concern over privately run hostels where they are hearing reports of a lack of social distancing measures and no provision of soap or hand sanitiser.
‘In terms of hostels, there’s a crisis environment,’ he said.
‘Social distancing is totally out the window. That just is not viable in regards to the accommodation offered within the system at the moment.’
He added: ‘Many of the people within the homeless system have compromised immune systems as is and we are going to be in a serious situation when this breaks out within this system.’
He said he had two unconfirmed reports of people being tested for the virus in accommodation units but that those individuals were not subsequently isolated from others in the same accommodation.
‘We’re in turmoil, we’re in chaos,’ he said. ‘On the ground the response from the voluntary sector and all the organisations has been fantastic but people are at risk.’
In a statement last night Minister Murphy said his department had been working with NGOs and local authorities to protect those in emergency accommodation, with extra staff and extra funding made available to service providers ‘to protect vulnerable people and those who work with them’.
‘Because of early action we have been in a position to secure facilities across the country for selfisolation that can be used if required,’ he said, although he did not address the issue of opening the Aviva.
‘We will continue to secure more places as needed and discussions with other state sectors are ongoing in this regard. I know that many people and families currently accessing emergency accommodation will be worried for themselves and their families. I want to assure these households that their health and safety is a priority and we are working very closely with the HSE to do all we can to respond.’
Mr Murphy is currently selfisolating as a precaution after returning from a trip abroad undertaken before travel advice had been updated.
In Dublin, there are fewer charities than usual providing hot meals in the evenings in the O’Connell Street area due to the threat of the virus. This has led to denser queues for the soup runs still in operation, according to Glenda Harrington of Friends Helping Friends, a group that feeds the homeless regularly at Dublin’s GPO. Friends Helping Friends also provide care packages of groceries for mothers and families in hotels.
On Saturday, March 14, the organisation fed 400 people and Ms Harrington said she had ‘never seen queues like it’. She added: ‘I actually cried all the way home, it was such an emotional night. We ran out of food at 9.15 and there were still people queuing for food. It was heartbreaking.’
She is fearful for rough sleepers who may not be able to get hot food in the evenings as services decrease. She hopes to continue as long as possible.
Ms Harrington says the people who use her service fear they ‘will be left to die in the streets’. While Mr Murphy maintains that measures are in place to protect homeless people if they contract Covid-19, this has not suppressed fears within the community, according the the charity worker.
‘The homeless are terrified. None of them seem to know anything,’ she said. ‘We have people coming asking us what they do if they get it. We’re telling them who they should call if they have symptoms but in general they aren’t getting information. They’re very frightened.’
The Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin, which provides meals and other provisions to the homeless, is also anticipating unprecedented numbers in the coming weeks. Brother Kevin Crowley, 84, who founded the centre, is considered to be in an at-risk group and has not been attending his service due to the risk of contracting the virus.
Speaking on behalf of the centre, Fr Seán Donohoe told the MoS: ‘We’re expecting an increase over the next few weeks because people are being laid off. We send out 1,200 food parcels on Wednesdays, we’ll expect that to go up because people haven’t got the resources they normally would have.
‘We’ve split our staff in half so that one group will be in to cover three days and the other half will be in for the other days. If one gets sick, we’re all out so this way, by splitting it, we’ve a chance of lasting longer in the service.’
Una Byrne of Novus, another charity operating homeless facilities across Ireland, confirmed it had service users presenting with symptoms who have been tested and placed in isolation but have had no comfirmed cases of Covid-19 to date. Ms Byrne said: ‘That could change within the hour.’
A Dublin Regional Homeless Executive spokesman told the MoS it was ‘closely monitoring the evolving situation and will activate contingency plans, including contingency beds and suitable accommodation as and when required’. It and NGOs will continue to work with the HSE to ensure arrangements for the homeless are adequate and consistent with medical and health and safety advice.
‘No provision of soap or hand sanitiser’
‘The homeless are terrified’