Several asylum applicants, including some who had reached Ireland on Thursday, were shortly evacuated from the Grand Canal, Dublin. The move was facilitated by the gardaí after Waterways Ireland security personnel cited an unlawful incursion. The individuals had erected temporary shelters on privately owned land belonging to Waterways Ireland. Displaced before 11pm, they reportedly headed in the direction of the city centre.
The experiences of these individuals reflect repeated displacement. A 48-year-old Darfur native shared that he is perpetually asked to relocate his tent, a facility given by homelessness aids. He disclosed that his constant exposure to the open air was detrimental to his health.
The evacuees typically shelter in hostels or mosques. However, the prohibitive cost or the unavailability of space have forced them onto the streets. Charities have sped up their aid practices, identifying and referrring individuals without living arrangements to the International Protection Accommodation Services (IPAS).
Volunteer Olivia Headon highlighted that in order to be considered for accommodation, one must visibly be sleeping rough. Provisioning can take days for those new to sleeping outdoors. Furthermore, some have been expelled from or have left IPAS housing due to disagreements or conflicts. These unfortunate individuals have been left without homes for weeks.
Ms Headon criticised the accommodation system for creating a continuous inflow of homeless people. The safest place they find to sleep, she remarked, is the canal, even though it doesn’t entirely guarantee their safety.
Nick Henderson, the CEO of the Irish Refugee Council, who was in attendance, referred to such evictions as “dreadful”.
“Can it really be considered just to evict people from a small grassy area late at night, particularly as winter is drawing in?”, he queried.
“We have grave concerns about occurrences such as this.
It appears that government policies are cornering people into scenarios where they are forced to sleep in the open, thereby exposing themselves to danger, in the hope of being deemed suitable for shelter,” he expressed.
Alternatively, those without any form of government-issued shelter may attempt to arrange their own, although this is likely to be “unreliable”, they are thus vulnerable to manipulation, he noted.
“Volunteers are providing assistance to individuals amidst extraordinary conditions, and yet we have a resolution from Waterways Ireland to evict these individuals, who are experiencing extremely challenging situations, with nowhere else to go,” he stated.
With winter looming, he indicated that the current state of affairs can’t persist.
“This cycle must be broken. The government needs to step up, as does the Dublin City Council,” he declared, emphasising that the council ought to be capable of offering temporary or immediate aid or support.
“The Department of Children and Integration seems unable to handle this problem and is failing to provide the necessary support,” he pointed out.