‘This is not a good view for people’: homeless asylum seekers soaked during weekend rain

Homeless asylum seekers sheltering in tents in Ranelagh, Dublin hung wet sleeping bags and clothes over steel barriers around the Grand Canal on Sunday in an effort to dry them after heavy rain over the weekend.

Over 50 tents remain pitched on the footpath by an empty office building at Charlemont Place, the site of the latest encampment of single, male asylum seekers in the city centre. Large sheets of blue tarpaulin, provided by volunteers, have been stretched over the tents to protect against the elements after almost 10 millilitres of rain fell on Saturday morning and afternoon.

Mohamed (27), from Jordan, said on Sunday the rain had “come inside all the tents”.

“All our sleeping bag get wet, all our clothes, shoes, everything. We try to dry them,” he said pointing to several sleeping bags, jackets and socks hanging over steel barriers erected along the canal bank in recent weeks to deter homeless people pitching tents. Shoes and clothes were lain out on the pavement, also in the owners’ hope they would dry.

“This is not a good view for people,” he said as people passed the makeshift clothesline.

Pointing over a human excrement metres from the encampment, he continued: “Yesterday drunks or maybe they had drugs, they do a shit there. So when people come and see this they say they are angry. They think we do this. The reputation is not good for us. We try to keep it clean,” he said. Three rubbish bags which the men use for their refuse are almost full.

“But you know there is nothing. If we want shower, if we want to go to toilet, nothing. We have to walk maybe 40 minutes to the Lighthouse [a service for homeless people on Pearse Street] and then it can be closed.

“Our body needs water but we cannot drink because there is no toilet. It is difficult for us.”

Another man (29) from Palestine has very little English but, with Mohamed translating, says he has been in Ireland for five days. Asked what he thinks of his living conditions he shrugs his shoulders. “It is very sad. It is not good for us. It is not good for this building,” he adds, looking at the office building which has a “For lease” sign displayed.

Since December 4th the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS) is not providing accommodation to single adult men when they present to apply for asylum at the International Protection Office (IPO). As of Friday there were 2,170 male asylum seekers “awaiting accommodation”, an increase of 34 since Tuesday.

A total of 4,041 men have presented since December 4th, with 398 offered accommodation following a “vulnerability triage” and 1,473 “subsequently” offered accommodation. In lieu of being provided with accommodation the men receive an “enhanced” allowance of €113.80 per week.

Volunteers appealed on Sunday for dry bedding for the homeless men. The Department of Children and Integration which manages IPAS has been asked for a comment.