Chai Brady
Outgoing CEO Tony Geoghegan The number of homeless people in Ireland is far more than 10,000 according to the CEO of a major homeless charity, and Government figures don’t “recognise the scale of the problem”.
Speaking at the launch of Merchants Quay Ireland’s (MQI) 2017 Annual Report, outgoing CEO Tony Geoghegan said the figure of 9,846 in emergency accommodation ignores many people in similar situations.
“They’re not the real figures,” he told The Irish Catholic, “that doesn’t include all the women in domestic violence units around the country that are homeless and can’t move out of those units until they get housing, and I think there are nearly 2,000 people in domestic violence units.”
“Then we have people in direct provision who have been legitimised here, they’re allowed to stay here, but again they can’t move beyond direct provision because they don’t have anywhere to go.”
He also spoke of the growing number of rough sleepers who don’t avail of emergency accommodation, citing the Spring 2018 Rough Sleeper Count which totalled 110 people, and those that avail of MQI’s Night Café.
Mr Geoghegan said this “pushes it way up nearer, heading over 15,000 for sure”.
Overall in 2017 MQI assisted over 10,000 people with needs relating to homelessness, addiction and mental health.
They provided over 107,000 meals, almost 20,000 ‘safe sleeps’ in their Night Café, dental care for 629 people and more than 6,102 GP visits to name a few of their services.
Battle
A long-time user of MQI’s services, who preferred to remain anonymous, said throughout a battle with addiction and homelessness “Merchant’s Quay was always there”.
“My life changed for me in May about three years ago, three members of Merchants Quay staff found me outside Dublin City Council, they kept pumping me alive, I was overdosing. They kept me going.
“That would have been the start of recovery. Merchants Quay aren’t just life givers, they’re life savers as well.”
He went through rehabilitation in High Park Residential – part of MQI’s detox and rehab services – and is currently three years in recovery.
Mr Geoghegan is set to retire from Merchants Quay after three decades of service, with long-time staff member Paula Byrne taking the reins as the new CEO.