Homeless Lobby/Picket of Dublin City Council Meeeting

by jewellybug - none Wed Jul 26, 2006 18:44

very well written indeed, my compliments to the author, i might like permission to reprint this for my own future use, if possible. please accept my thanks for writing this article. you are obviously a very well-informed and well-spoken writer. thank you again for posting this. -- julie

by beggars belief Wed Jul 26, 2006 18:09

ireland especially Dublin has more bums wandering around than i have ever seen in my entire life in any city, and i have been to a lot of cities, it is obvious even from that simple viewpoint that it has a homeless problem that needs to be addressed

well done

by Paul Wed Jul 26, 2006 17:58 paxham at hotmail dot com

I imagine you missed the irony of your final comments. I'll try to stay serious though.

In my city and country, Richmond VA, USA, as in most American cities, the downtowns have become dumping grounds for the homeless. Most are men, many are exconvicts, drug addicts or alchoholics. There is also a web of public support for the homeless that creates an unpleasant status quo. The are many established charities that feed and house the homeless. They don't get them off the street, but provide temporary shelter and semi regular meals. There are also numerous ad hoc groups that take over a public park on weekends and act a a magnet to scores of homeless, sometimes competing with each other. The result is many homeless survive tolerably well and have no great desire to leave the freedom they are allowed on the streets. In the time they have to themselves, they take over public parks, bus stop benches, panhandle and harass working people and residents and trade sex for food, drugs or money.

Any attempt to criticize the efforts of advocacy groups or the homeless themselves is met with withering scorn. In the meantime businesses and people avoid the inner city. The working poor and minorities are left with fewer employment opportunites and have fewer and fewer places to obtain the necessities of life. A cycle of poverty is established that only results in more homelessness.

Solutions are complicated, but they require practical and constructive debates. Many of the policies of homeless sympathizers only serve to worsen the problem. I find that revolting.

by Elaine Mon Oct 03, 2005 23:41

From earlier this evening

Protest At City Hall

Housing Is A Right Not A Privilege

by asdf Mon Oct 03, 2005 21:15

An Taoiseach Mr Bertie Ahern TD today officially opened a new €1.4m extension to the Capuchin Day Centre in Dublin’s north inner city.

The new facility was required to enable the Capuchin Day Centre to properly look after Dublin’s most needy in a safe and comfortable environment.

The project cost a total of €1,400,000, of which a hugely generous anonymous donor gave a vital €500,000 towards the cost of the new facility. The Department of Health and Children provided an additional €500,000 while the Department of Environment gave €342,000 for refurbishing the kitchen area. The People in Need Telethon donated €30,000. Whelan Corcoran Smith are the architects responsible for the design.

Brother Kevin Crowley was understandably delighted that years hard work and fundraising have paid off. However, he sounded deep concerns as to how Irish society deals with the major problems of poverty, social exclusion in an age where more and more people have succumbed to drug addiction, alcoholism and homelessness.

by D Mon Oct 03, 2005 16:37

It tis 'In Awe' - and awesome

by Michael Mon Oct 03, 2005 15:05

Best of luck this evening. Great initiative!!! I will be thinking of you.

Not one person on this island (or any other island) should be without a roof over their head. Oh the things we take for granted......

by D Mon Oct 03, 2005 13:33

Awe - Awesome is not Jon.

I know who it is.

The mindset cannot be changed. It seems they never never learn - but are irrelvent anyway to what Street Seen is doing and to all those involved in Street Seen.

Support the picket tonight.

by ??? Sun Oct 02, 2005 17:53

Are you being sarcastic? Jon can speak for himself alright but it's quite strange for someone to come along and call him awesome. Are you Jon posting himself?

Street Seen isn't a project it is an anti poverty paper that has being going for a year now. It sure is awesome

by awesome! Sun Oct 02, 2005 14:44

Im sure jon can speak for himself, he sure can get his point accross
i like others had understood that jon initially set up the street seen project
congratulations to all involved in the street seen group in their work

by Awe breaker Sun Oct 02, 2005 12:54

Street Seen isn't Jon's it's everybody's. It is a collective of people not one person. Jon doesn't claim this so don't try and spin it like he did.

by In Awe! Sun Oct 02, 2005 00:22

i am in awe of john and all that his street seen are up to.
Someone at last is leading and driving a movement that enables people without shelter to fight for shelter.
You stand in the tradition of connoly and larkin
at last the poor are getting off their knees
keep it up

by Davy Carlin - Street Seen Thu Sep 29, 2005 17:02

And I am fortunate enough to be able to spend it with a roof over my head.


This is a very practical step to show that the Council and the Government are taking this issue seriously. I had written about similar {attached} in Belfast.

Street Seen are seeking to effect real change for the most vulnerable, may it be those suffering at the hands of racists or those eeking out an existence on our streets.

We seek to make the real issues of the invisible visible and to speak out with, and for, those who have little voice or who fear to speak out themselves.

Please contact your local councillors to support the below motion. Davy Carlin


We are calling on Dublin City Council in an emergency motion on October 3rd

‘That this City Council calls on the Government to refrain from selling the former UCD veterinary College, Dublin 4 and instead allocate it to Dublin City Council with a view to allievating the housing crisis in the city’

In Solidarity Davy Carlin

by Dermot Lacey Thu Sep 29, 2005 14:25

Of course I will support such a motion. However it would have been preferable if you requested one of the local Councillors to table this.

There is however a big problem for those out there who believe in the infallibaility of the Trade Union Movement. There connivance in signing up to the Affordable Housing Patnership means that there is about 0-1% chance of the motion being actually delivered on by the Government.

Good Luck with the campaign - you have, always have had and always will have my support on the issue of Housing/ homelessness. It is great to see such a genuinely important issue highlighted on Indymedia

by Jon Glackin - Streetseen Thu Sep 29, 2005 13:36 streetseen04 at hotmail dot com

Jon Glackin 0870541947
Mark Grehan 0877974622