Four homeless people have died in a Dublin 'wet hostel' in the past two years - but where else could they have gone, asks Kitty Holland
The funeral of Willy Guinan (39) at St Bernadette's Church in Crumlin, Dublin, this week brought together a large and diverse gathering of mourners.
The homeless father of three, who died of a suspected heroin overdose in a city-centre hostel last weekend, was described as "very friendly, witty and kind" by his sister, Mary Guinan.
"We had kind of lost touch," she told The Irish Times during the week. "The last time I saw him was seven weeks ago when we buried our sister. He had got involved in the drugs and his marriage broke down. Of course we tried to help him get his life together. We used to meet up. But he drifted away and I suppose we hoped he was getting on with his life."
She said he met up with his three grown-up sons and that he was "very happy" at the Aungier Street hostel run by the De Paul Trust. Willy had been living at the "wet hostel" - where people are allowed to consume alcohol on the premises - for almost two years. The hostel is the only one catering exclusively for homeless drinkers.
Until two years ago, when it opened, homeless drinkers were effectively barred from hostel beds as they weren't allowed to bring their alcohol in with them. Drinkers were dying on the streets, particularly in winter, and the "wet" hostel was opened to try to provide a safe environment. It was intended as an "emergency" facility, where key personnel could intervene in these people's lives and link them with relevant services.
"A lot of his friends from the hostel and the staff were at the funeral. They seemed lovely," said Mary.
Willy's was the fourth death at the hostel in the past two years, but she had no concerns about the standards of care there.
"He was very happy there," she said.
A number of former staff, however, have voiced concerns. Two who contacted The Irish Times this week said that training and staffing levels were inadequate. They were concerned about the level of monitoring of residents.
"We're talking about guys drinking, falling asleep in their chair and then taking medication which clearly says 'not to be taken with alcohol'. The lockers are full of prescription drugs," said one.
Another said the building was "totally unsuitable", describing it as "cramped, with no natural light" and a serious fire risk. A visit to the hostel yesterday revealed just one narrow flight of stairs to communal rooms, an office and bedrooms for 22 residents.
A Homeless Agency study on wet hostels, published last year, said the behavioural consequences of alcohol use were "more pronounced than for any other drug type". Those combining alcohol with other drugs "scored significantly higher on all measures of hostility and aggression".
ANOTHER FORMER EMPLOYEE said residents suffered from frequent epileptic episodes and seizures, and expressed a belief that "in such a volatile environment there should be, per shift, someone with an advanced diploma in emergency life support and with experience in mental health issues".
Just two members of staff are regularly present at the hostel - a figure confirmed by the De Paul Trust.
"I have seen people freaking out and crying when there's a serious psychiatric incident, and that just can't happen. The staff have to be in control," said one former member of staff.
"It could be total hell" in the hostel, said one former worker. Asked if there was scope to intervene or help residents address underlying issues, the former worker said there was "very little".
The work was described as "firefighting" and the style of management as "well-meaning but wishy-washy philanthropy".
The Impact trade union, of which the hostel staff are members, has also expressed concerns.
"There are a number of health and safety issues: general violence, lack of managerial support for staff, inadequate staffing," said assistant general secretary Dessie Robinson. "And then there's the suitability of the building. Of course it should be shut down and another purpose built."
On many of the issues the De Paul Trust agrees. While rejecting suggestions that staffing or training are inadequate, director Pat Doherty accepts that the building is unsuitable and says that the charity is seeking another facility. He says the training needs of potential staff were "identified" while they "shadowed" other staff on the job and adds that there is management support on duty at all times.
Asked about the four deaths in the past two years, he says that the client group is "particularly vulnerable and chaotic". While in theory the facility was an emergency hostel, the lack of suitable, supported move-on accommodation meant its residents could often be expected to be there for the rest of their lives. The hostel should not but has effectively become "home" for its residents.
His point is backed up by this week's report from the National Advisory Committee on Drugs (NACD), Drug Use Among The Homeless Population in Ireland. Alcohol remains the primary drug used by the homeless population (70 per cent) and "there is a need for a continuum of care in relation to accommodation provision", it says.
Alyson Dunn, director of care for the Northern Ireland mental health charity, Praxis, describes the absence of sheltered move-on accommodation for people such as those in the Aungier Street hostel as a "real gap" in services in this State. Dunn last year addressed a conference run by the Homeless Agency on best practice in service provision.
"There does not seem to be that move on long-term accommodation for homeless people with serious mental health issues," she says.
Among the three residents who spoke to The Irish Times yesterday morning, Christina (aged 51) said she had been there for two years.
Like the other two, after just a few minutes of being asked about herself, Christina's eyes were dampening. It was clear that just beneath the surface was a lot of pain. She had three sons, she said, and was "very proud of them". The "good while" she had been sleeping on the streets were "very tough", she added.
The former staff member accepted that there did seem to be, currently, nowhere else to house people such as Christina and Willy.
Perhaps it was better than leaving them on the streets, agreed Impact's Dessie Robinson.
IN THE CLOSING chapter of its report on drugs and the homeless, the NACD highlights in its first policy recommendation a "lack of awareness regarding where responsibility for this client group lies".
Doherty says the De Paul Trust would like to be able to move "wet hostel" clients on to such supported housing as Dunn describes, "but there does not seem to be a willingness to put the substantial investment into this most chaotic group. If we don't move them on at a certain point, they get stuck here, psychologically and physically. And the size of the problem is huge".
Asked yesterday if she would like to live in her own home some time, Christina shook her head.
"No, I like it here," she said. "I want to stay here, with my friends, where it's safe."