No More Deaths on Our Streets Protest Rally

by Jim Jo Wed Nov 23, 2005 13:18

From Irish Times: Subscription Required.

Homeless people are experiencing worse levels of exclusion and marginalisation than they did 30 years ago despite increasing levels of prosperity, the founder of homeless support group Trust said yesterday.

Alice Leahy, the director and co-founder of Trust, also criticised the State-funded "poverty industry" for allowing homeless services to become strangled by bureaucracy instead of focusing on the day-to-day needs of people on the street.

She was speaking yesterday at the launch of an initiative, Building Trust in the Community, aimed at changing attitudes towards people experiencing homelessness. The initiative, which marks the 30th anniversary of Trust, is sponsored by ESB Electric Aid.

"Some people find it hard to understand why we say things are worse for the outsider in Ireland in 2005 than it was in 1975 when Trust was founded," Ms Leahy said.

"We may have achieved much material success but many of us are equally less tolerant of those who cannot keep pace and fall by the wayside. The price of accommodation has soared and it has forced some people out on to the street.

"But their exclusion is also due to our increasing inability as a society to find space and understanding for those who cannot cope and fit in," she said.

Ms Leahy also criticised what she said was a major campaign to "professionalise" the voluntary sector, with large grants given to independent organisations once staffed largely by volunteers. These services are now providing services once delivered by the State.

"We describe it as a form of nationalisation and it is a very effective blanket to muffle the sounds of dissent. It effectively silences once prophetic voices in defence of the most vulnerable in society," she said.

"Once the independent agencies become part of the bureaucracy, they must adopt the language of management, the performance indicators and promotion systems that separate so much of decision-making from the flesh-and-blood reality."

While there has been progress, which has seen the number of people sleeping rough in Dublin fall from 300 to 100 in recent years, this compared to figures of about 60 in 1975, she said.

Trust is proposing an advocate system, where homeless people would have a person who would act as a "consumer voice" for vulnerable people. It is also distributing a free DVD on the theme of the way we treat outsiders in society. The group hopes it will eventually be seen by 100,000 people and spark a debate on excluded people.

"We would like to see people finding more creative solutions and taking a wider view of how their own lives relate to those around them," Ms Leahy said.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, who helped launched the initiative, said while there had been significant improvement in the availability of services for homeless people, it was vital to help foster greater understanding of homelessness.

"Society in Ireland is changing rapidly and it is not surprising that some people are not sure where they fit in. Our future depends on the health and well-being of all our citizens and our responsibility is to do exactly what Alice and others like her are doing - to ask what we can do as individuals, communities and as a society."

by Jon Glackin Wed Nov 23, 2005 16:11

This morning another person was found dead on the streets of Dublin....

Yesterday Bertie Ahern declared:

"...Our future depends on the health and well-being of all our citizens and our responsibility is to do exactly what Alice and others like her are doing - to ask what we can do as individuals, communities and as a society."

While people are dying on a weekly basis on the streets of Dublin and further afield this fool is talking about our so called reponsibilities.
How about this governments responsibilities to the people that they allegedly serve....
What kind of 'future' can we expect when people are callously allowed to die alone on the streets....
How many more people must die before this government recognises the crisis that exists...

It is clearly vital that as many people as possible can attend Saturdays Protest to send a clear message to the government and its lackeys that enough is enough...

Please circulate information of Saturdays Protest as widely as possible...

Who's next to die on Dublins streets?

by Jon Glackin - Street Seen Thu Nov 24, 2005 12:27

Copies/Artwork of Posters and Flyers are available for distribution...

TeeShirts will also be available on the day...

All help greatly appreciated...

Please email [email protected] or bell 086 888 5779

by Street Seen Fri Nov 25, 2005 16:25

Press Release

Street Seen a campaigning anti poverty newspaper has organized a homeless demonstration for Saturday 26th November at 3 o’clock at the Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square, Dublin. The protest is part of Street Seen’s campaign of No more deaths on our streets. The protest is calling on the government to hand over the proceeds of the sale of the UCD veterinary site in Ballsbridge to Dublin City Council for the purpose of dealing with the homeless crisis. A number of developers are expected to bid for the 2.05-acre former UCD Veterinary College, which fronts on to both Pembroke Road and Shelbourne Road, and which is due to be sold by tender on November 30.(1) The current market value for this land exceeds 100 million.


Mark Grehan Street Seen spokesperson

“Christmas is approaching fast. It is meant to be the season of good will, however, the government has offered no good will to the homeless community. Homeless people continue to die on our streets, with the latest victim having passed away on Wednesday. These deaths are preventable, provided that the political will is there. The government has failed to provide this political will and instead has continued to ignore this issue. We are calling on the government to hand over the proceeds of the sale of the UCD veterinary site in Ballsbridge to Dublin City Council to deal with the homeless crisis. The government could call this a Christmas present to the homeless community, we would call it an overdue development.”

Eddie (25) a member of the homeless community said

“Being homeless makes you feel isolated and rejected. At Christmas time these feelings are far worse as it is a time that most people spend with their families. The weather is a major worry for us as we are on the streets and are facing the freezing cold. The government has ignored us and have treated us as if we weren’t even their. They should hand over the money made from the sale of the land to Dublin City Council as it is the very least that they should do for us.”



For further details

Mark Grehan 087 7974622

Jon Glackin 086 8885779

by Davy Carlin - Street Seen Fri Nov 25, 2005 17:01

I have to say the flyers are class - getting loads of feedback about the design.

Even seen a flyer up in a South Belfast window

And as for the first Street Seen tee shirt - again requests coming in from around the North already for them.

Distinctive visual images like that are powerful ways of getting such an essential message across.

Revolt on Sat!