Homeless services facing increased demands, Salvation Army says

By Jonathan McCambridge, PA

A homeless charity and church in Ireland provided more than 150 extra beds at one of its family hubs last year, figures have revealed.

The Salvation Army helped a total of 173 homeless families in three of its six residential facilities in Dublin, its 2022 annual report reveals.

Such was the pressure on services, adult and child bed capacity at its largest family hub, Houben House in Harold’s Cross, rose 67 per cent from 232 in January to 388 by September.

More than 75,000 meals were served here and at the Christian church’s two other family hubs – Clonard Road in Crumlin and Greencastle in Coolock.

The surge in demand has prompted church leaders to insist that “major systemic change” is needed to resolve the homeless crisis in the capital.

“As Houben House is only three years old, one of the biggest challenges we faced in 2022 was the rapid expansion of our service,” said the charity’s divisional commander in Ireland, Colonel Neil Webb.

“In 2022, we saw the number of available beds rise by 67 per cent.

“Undoubtedly, the main challenge we face is the same for all housing agencies in Ireland: there is a severe lack of appropriate housing and major systemic change is needed to resolve this.”

Staff at the Salvation Army’s three family facilities work with landlords, local councils and housing associations to identify and secure long-term, independent accommodation for families.

They also run life skills workshops to coach individuals in areas such as budgeting and healthy eating.

The annual report highlighted its Employment Plus programme, training mainly homeless residents to cook to a high standard and move into sustainable employment.

Last year, the initiative trained 52 men and women, along with some members of the public, 13 of whom found work in the catering and hospitality sector.

“The aim of Employment Plus is not simply to help participants to gain paid work,” said Colonel Webb.

“Many require support, training and education in money management, personal confidence, motivation and goal setting.

“Despite the many barriers, a high proportion of participants achieve employment.”

Last year, the Salvation Army also turned its Granby Centre in Granby Row, which caters for men and women, into a nurse-led accommodation lifehouse – particularly in response to a rise in the number of homeless people presenting with addiction and mental health issues.

It also employed a specialist addiction worker to support residents.

Financially, the organisation’s income totalled €11 million last year, mainly sourced from HSE and Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) grants.

It also received donations and gifts of €1,673,740, compared with €733,000 to the end of December 2021.

Overall expenditure, however, rose from €9.6 million in 2021 to more than €11 million, mainly due to a spike in operating expenses.

The Salvation Army is asking people to support its Christmas and New Year appeal at https://donate.salvationarmy.ie/christmas_23/~my-donation.