Sir, – Independent Cllr Mannix Flynn has said it is unacceptable that Ireland's largest homeless hostel was being opened without any consultation with the business or residential community ("State's largest homeless hostel to open over café", News, November 14th). It appears to me that this is the way of doing things in the Ireland of today. The powers that be, that is those who make the decisions, then often wonder why there are complaints, and indeed very often legitimate ones. In this area where we work there is a huge concentration of services for people who are homeless.
From our long experience of working in the field, smaller units of accommodation appear to be much more beneficial, with emphasis on quality rather than on quantity. Many of the isolated people we meet who sleep rough don’t like crowded accommodation, and they are likely to continue sleeping rough, in spite of the efforts of many hard-working people.
All in this country are only too well aware of the lack of housing, but it is surely time that a broader, more inclusive debate takes place around homelessness.
Currently it appears from what we see in the media that decisions are made behind closed doors, and this is not particularly helpful.
A little bit of common sense would indeed be helpful to ensure we avoid the blame game that we have now become so familiar with. – Yours, etc,
ALICE LEAHY,
Director of Services,
Alice Leahy Trust,
Dublin 8.