Homeless accommodation system in Donegal criticised as ‘not helpful’

Councillors from Donegal Municipal District questioned Donegal County Council’s Housing Manager on the effectiveness of the homeless shelter system within Donegal at April’s Donegal MD meeting.

Donegal County Council provides two shelters in Bundoran and Letterkenny, where there are currently over 50 people requiring assistance, including several children.

This approach was recently implemented, and marked a change from when previous client were required to source their own emergency accommodation in private hostels or B&B-type accommodation, which the council states “proved challenging, particularly during the traditional holiday periods or when large events were taking place within the county.”

Killybegs-based councillor, Niamh Kennedy, opened up the discussion. She said, “It is something that has been coming to most of us. People who are presenting themselves as homeless and the homeless shelters in the city. People, as far out as Glencolmcille, are having to go far. 

“It is very stressful, and people have to travel as far as Bundoran and Letterkenny, and then coming back to Donegal to sign every week to say that they are still homeless is upsetting and costing money that they don’t have.

“With no accommodation, people are actually working and yet, they have been taken out of there, and have no means of seeing light at the end of the tunnel. 

“It might be working well at management level, but it is certainly not helpful for anyone who has found themselves in the predicament of homelessness.”

Cllr Jimmy Brogan commented: “It might work for single people, but not with families with children. We need to make sure there is some sort of emergency accommodation for people.

“Unfortunately, I don’t blame the housing office here, but the situation needs to be improved. People can not up sticks and go to Bundoran or Letterkenny. It is not fair or right that that is the situation.”

Bundoran-based Cllr Michael McMahon stated: “The homeless shelter in Bundoran is run very well. The one issue is people being sent to it from as far as Letterkenny, Buncrana, etc, and it is not advisable for that sort of situation.

“We need a discussion of keeping it in the south, so we know who is coming. It is being run in a very professional way, but there are some situations there that are not nice.

“It is a delicate situation that is serious and becoming more frequent. It is something that we need to talk about at the next meeting at Lifford. 

“There are not enough shelters or homes, and it seems to be getting worse every week. The council is doing a very difficult job and the best we can under very difficult conditions.”

Cllr Noel Jordan said: “I would be asking for the discussion to be had, and we need to be looking at a different policy. It is going to get worse, and we are going to have huge numbers that will fall into that homeless category, and we need to be doing something now.”

READ NEXT: Glencolmcille activist to celebrate 90th birthday at Glen Head Tavern

The Area Manager for Housing and MD Services, Pauric Sheerin, responded to the councillors' comments and queries, firstly by commenting on the previous system.

Sheerin said: “The scenario was that if someone became homeless, they presented to the council and were presented with a voucher and found accommodation.  

“There were a couple of disadvantages to that. There were a number of challenges to that system when the accommodation was not managed. 

“We had no knowledge if the client was staying there or if they were abiding by the house rules.

“The second issue was the process coming out of the housing clinics that were being run at the Tenant and Situ introduction. The whole purpose was that on a weekly basis, we check in with clients on what ……… they were making to find accommodation, what issues they were having, their contribution to accommodation, and gives us the opportunity to have further conversations with them, such as anti-social behaviour or any breach of the rules of accommodation. 

Regarding the current homeless shelters, Sheerin stated: “They are required to have security on-site. We may get anything from 50 homeless people on a day from both sites. We can be satisfied in terms of the safety of everybody, in some cases, accommodation for single people, families with kids, etc.

“While I acknowledge the issue, that it is very difficult for somebody to uproot from where they are living, there is a rationale for why those centres are placed.

“I will go back to my line manager to see if there are improvements which can be made to that.”

Sheerin then responded to Cllr McMahon’s comments. He said: Each of the five Municipal Districts have access to the two entries of accommodation and in certain instances, while there might not be accommodation in Letterkenny, Bundoran would be placed. 

“It is not our intention to take somebody from their normal environment and ship them off to Letterkenny. 

“We have absolutely no involvement in the clients referred from Letterkenny to Bundoran. 

“I certainly would acknowledge the comments of the members. I just wanted to give a bit of rationale for why this is organised the way it is.”

Afterwards, Cllr McMahon said the councillor accepted that the issue was “the most difficult job.”