A physician who works with refugees has suggested that an efficiently run emergency centre could offer secure and reliable services for international protection applicants. Earlier this week, worries mounted about the squalid living conditions of around 200 males sleeping at an informal camp near Dublin’s International Protection Office.
Dr Angela Skuse, during RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne programme, decried the appalling conditions of the currently unregulated, disordered, and unsanitary makeshift accommodation on Mount Street, where asylum seekers reside. Dr Skuse serves as the medical director at Safety Net Primary Care, a service provider for asylum seekers.
She expressed concerns about individuals with cardiovascular and renal diseases who resided in these tents and have since been shifted to hospitals. Dr Skuse was insistent on the need for Ireland to set up a well-managed emergency housing option that includes sanitation, security, and staff to promptly address arising problems. Despite the commendable healthcare response, the deteriorating living environment has set limits to successful resolution.
The number of men sleeping in the open near the International Protection Office (IPO) has been continually rising since December 4th, when the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS) stated its incapacity to house male asylum seekers. In this challenging scenario, two men are often forced to share one tent, leading to the formation of small tent-groupings across various areas. One area has turned into a dumpsite covered with damp clothes, discarded food packets, bottles, cans, and purportedly human waste stacked up to four feet high and ten feet wide.
Dr Skuse claimed that it is virtually impossible to ensure safety and deliver suitable care in such a chaotic environment. The situation, she affirms, has been increasingly worrying over the past few weeks as the conditions for people living in the tents continue to worsen.
Dr Skuse highlighted the desperate circumstances of international protection applicants living in tents off Mount Street, stating their lack of basic sanitation facilities such as toilets and washing amenities, and referred to the inhumane conditions they were forced to endure. She expressed dissatisfaction towards the continuation of such situations despite their best efforts.
She underscored the jeopardy these individuals were put in, following their arduous journey only to reach a place that lacked basic welcoming standards and exposed them to numerous safety risks. Patients presenting severe symptoms due to diseases such as diabetes, heart and kidney diseases, and back pain were coming in more frequently. The severity was often aggravated due to their recurring exposure to the cold and wet weather, coupled with the stress from their current living conditions.
Despite Safety Net’s ongoing efforts to assist with outreach services at most times, Dr Skuse pointed out that they did come across chronically diseased individuals who, although serious, didn’t require immediate emergency attention. These individuals would have to patiently wait for their treatment, usually taking up to a week or two.
The deterioration of the conditions surrounding the international protection applicants was lamented by Louisa Santoro, Chief Executive of Mendicity. She expressed concerns over the situation worsening over the weeks and stressed on the importance of a more immediate response.
Although Mendicity catered to a diverse group of people, not all of them were international protection applicants, Ms Santoro reported. Due to the sheer volume of people in similar situations, Mount Street served as a refuge, presenting a greater sense of safety and easier access to services.
Questioning the varying categories of homelessness, Ms Santoro stood firm on defining the people residing in tents on Mount Street as homeless and expressed confusion over their inability to access homeless services. Particularly baffling to her was the billing of supported infrastructure through public funding and resources without fully utilising it, more so given the deteriorating situation near Mount Street.
The original text details the issue of a supposedly experienced outreach service that had resources to support adults living rough, however, the service was criticised for failing to meet its stated mandate on Mount Street. In the words of an unidentified female, it appears that support for short-term homeless accommodation was not being adequately provided.
Additionally, the comments of Dermot Lacey, a Labour Party councillor, were related on the same show. Lacey condemned the fact that while people were inhabiting tents, buildings like Baggot Street hospital and unused office blocks remained disused. He proposed these spaces could be adapted for housing the homeless. Lacey stated that should such action be taken, the council would support it. The critical obstacle was the involvement of different agencies, signalling a need for more unified efforts.