Women and children given weeks to ‘uproot our whole lives’ as homeless facility closes

A number of women have said they fear where they will end up after being informed that an emergency accommodation centre in Dublin’s north inner city will close down next month.

Rendu Apartments, operated by Depaul and funded by the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE), provides self-contained apartments for women and children who are experiencing homelessness.

Eighteen women and children live in the centre at present, Depaul said. A number of residents have serious medical conditions, including cardiac issues.

In a letter sent on September 29th, Depaul informed residents that the building, owned by the Daughters of Charity, does not meet fire safety requirements. The letter, seen by The Irish Times, said “significant levels of work” were required to bring the building “up to regulations in the short term”.

“Depaul worked closely with DRHE to source funding to undertake the work required; however, unfortunately funding has not been secured,” the letter said, adding that the building was being closed on November 27th “with deep regret”.

Residents say they fear being placed in homeless hostels that may not be suitable for children or those with long-term medical conditions. Some of the women have experienced domestic violence in the past and do not feel comfortable being housed with men.

Some residents said they asked if they could stay in Rendu until January, so their children could celebrate Christmas together, but were told this was not possible.

“Santy comes into the building, [the children] love that ... It’s very special,” one woman said, adding that residents were given weeks “to uproot our whole lives”.

[ Children Ombudsman ‘deeply concerned’ about changes to homeless accommodation eligibilityOpens in new window ]

“There’s women in there with life-threatening conditions ... It’s the most vulnerable of society,” she said.

This woman has dealt with addiction issues but said she has been sober for years and worked hard to get her life “back on track”.

“All this trauma is after affecting my recovery; I’ve never been so tested.”

The woman and her young child were recently moved to another homeless facility in the area, but some other residents don’t know where they will be sent.

Another woman, who suffered a cardiac arrest in recent months, said she fears being sent somewhere that does not meet her medical needs. She said she has had multiple panic attacks due to the stress of the situation.

“I’ve been fighting, advocating for myself to get properly housed ... I have two more surgeries to do as well.”

Depaul, which has been running the Rendu facility for 14 years, said in a statement: “In recent years it had become clear that the building was reaching the end of its current life and that it was critical and clear that plans had to be made for its longer term future to continue as a resource to serve the community.

“Following a recent statutory fire inspection report of the building, it has become apparent that extensive works must be completed to maintain the current accommodation services in the building.”

Depaul said carrying out short-term remediation works on the building would be “costly” and “would not constitute value for money”.

After consultation with the DRHE and the Daughters of Charity, it was agreed that this approach “was not a responsible use of charitable donations or public funds ... therefore closing the service was agreed as the most prudent course of action”.

Depaul said it was closing the facility “with sadness” and would work with the DRHE to “ensure all current service users are relocated to appropriate accommodation suitable for their needs”.

A spokeswoman said the Daughters of Charity “have been working very closely with Depaul” on the matter.

[ ‘An intelligent, nonconformist man’: Galway’s homeless millionaireOpens in new window ]

In a statement, Dublin City Council (DCC) said Depaul has “support in principle” from the council for “a longer term plan to develop social housing together with community services at this location”.

“As the service cannot continue in its current use without significant capital works, current residents will be relocated to the most appropriate accommodation suitable to their needs.”

DCC said there is “sufficient alternative emergency accommodation available” to find new places for residents to stay.

“We know that the change of emergency accommodation is very disruptive to residents and we are committed to making the most appropriate alternatives available.”