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Deaths of homeless people in Dublin

Letter to The Irish Times, 23 Oct 2024

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Sir, – Reading of the deaths of 40 people so far this year who were homeless in Dublin makes for sad reading (News, October 22nd).

Some of those people were known to us. In spite of the efforts of so many from the NGO and statutory sector and their families, their lives ended while homeless in our capital city. This points to the complexities of homelessness, which is so often seen as being just a housing problem alone. This poses challenges, difficult to understand and therefore difficult to address.

May all those who have died now rest in peace and their families be comforted in the knowledge that while they were living in some cases far from “home” were in touch with services.

Yours etc.

ALICE LEAHY

Director of Services

Alice Leahy Trust

Dublin 8

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Letter to The Irish Times: Security on Dublin Bus

Sir,

The pilot Dublin Bus scheme to tackle antisocial behaviour has to be welcomed by staff and customers alike. It too is tinged with sadness that this is where we are now.

Many of us remember the friendly, efficient and helpful bus conductors of times past. They were great ambassadors for public bus service and our Capital City. We are daily reminded of the speed in which in so many areas of public service people have been replaced by technology in this box-ticking age.  Yes, technology has been so beneficial, and it continues to grow, yet it will never replace the helpful human being face to face with a fellow human being.

Dublin Bus might consider in due course having some staff available to check the occupancy of clearly designated seats for vulnerable passengers.  A daily user of public transport, I see young children in those seats, as elderly, disabled and sometimes pregnant women cling to bus rails for dear life to get to their destination.

Yours etc.

Alice Leahy

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A clear need for public showers and toilets – the health and dignity of all must be a priority

Letter to the Irish Times, 30th July 2024

Sir, – The Alice Leahy Trust made a submission, including an architect’s plan, for public showers to Dublin City Council in 2006 and again in 2014.

We intend doing so again now, 18 years later, in 2024.

The Irish Times noted our plan in 2006, and later in 2018 as part of a feature article entitled “10 ideas for improving Dublin’s infrastructure, economy and daily life” (Life, November 7th, 2018).

Today the need for public showers and toilets is even more glaringly obvious.

Our capital city is teeming with tourists, building work is thriving, but most concerning is the hundreds of people from across the world living in conditions beyond description, and the many people living in overcrowded accommodation.

The provision of well-run washing facilities and public toilets would help ensure some degree of dignity would be afforded to those in need and help those struggling to care for them.

It is clear that washing is a first step to ensuring that serious health issues can be prevented or even detected. On a weekly basis (five mornings), we provide up to 60 showers as part of our holistic health vision in a tiny centre, while not being a public washing facility.

Ironically, years ago, with fewer people living and visiting our city and far less money available, we had public toilets and some washing facilities.

We urge our city councillors and city management to look seriously at the need for well-run municipal showers and public toilets in our capital city that are available in other European cities.

The need is now more obvious and urgent to ensure the health and dignity of all. If it is necessary to provide this service through a public-private partnership, surely it is possible to knock heads together with a can-do attitude for the good of all. – Yours, etc,

ALICE LEAHY,

Director of Services,

Alice Leahy Trust,

Dublin 8.

LINK: https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/2024/07/30/a-clear-need-for-public-showers-and-toilets

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Addressing the problem of homelessness

Sir, – The sad deaths of two people at the Grand Canal in Dublin at the weekend focused minds again on the lives of people ending up homeless (“Grand Canal deaths: Victims named, foul play not suspected ahead of postmortem results”, News, July 8th).

There are a huge number of people working in the NGO sector and statutory bodies working hard addressing the problem of homelessness, supported by an incredible amount of funding from various sources. No one agency can claim exclusive expertise.

This is because it is a complex problem, as we highlighted in our submission to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage when it met to consider homelessness on January 29th, 2021. It is clear that there are no easy solutions.

This too is compounded by the fact that thankfully we live in a country where personal freedom is paramount, even if at times there can be tragic outcomes.

People, whatever their social status, do have rights and responsibilities.

This is an example of some of the issues that arise when we reflect on the death of someone labelled homeless, especially when they are known to us, as was the case in this instance.

The work of the Garda Síochána and ambulance service dealing with tragic events, such as the deaths of the two men last weekend, is all too often overlooked or taken for granted. – Yours, etc,

ALICE LEAHY,

Director of Services,

Alice Leahy Trust,

Dublin 8.

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/2024/07/10/addressing-the-problem-of-homelessness/