Over 50 tents stand at Charlemont Place, an unoccupied office building’s grounds in Ranelagh, Dublin, inhabited by solitary male asylum seekers. They find themselves living on the city’s pavements, following a weekend of relentless rain. Makeshift washing lines were created on Sunday, using steel barriers around the Grand Canal, hoping the soaked sleeping bags, jackets, and footwear would dry. These items of clothing were drenched due to the unceasing rain that impacted the city centre.
Volunteers offered support by supplying large blue tarpaulin sheets, an attempt to provide protections from the harsh weather conditions. Despite these efforts, however, one resident of the tent city, a 27-year-old Jordanian named Mohamed, stated that every tent was infiltrated by rainwater.
Creating a display that Mohamed admits is unsightly, damp garments are draped over steel barriers or laid out on the pavement under owners’ expectations that they would eventually dry out. The situation is worsened by unsavoury deposits of human waste in close proximity to their encampment. Mohamed claims these are the acts of intoxicated individuals, blaming them for casting a negative light on the asylum seekers who endeavour to maintain a clean environment, as demonstrated by their three nearly filled rubbish bags.
However, their efforts are hindered by lack of access to basic sanitation. A 40-minute walk to a homeless service on Pearse Street, aptly named the Lighthouse, may prove fruitless if it is closed. Their predicaments are summed up in Mohamed’s lamentation that whilst their bodies need water to survive, they restrain from drinking due to non-existent toilet facilities. It’s evident that their struggles are far from minimal.
A 29-year-old Palestinian man, having been in Ireland for less than a week, expresses dissatisfaction with his living conditions, communicating through a translator named Mohamed. Glancing at an office block marked ‘For lease,’ he commented on the disheartening state of his dwelling which casts a gloomy atmosphere on him and the structure.
Since December 4th, single male adults seeking asylum have been neglected by the International Protection Accommodation Service (IPAS), upon presenting themselves at the International Protection Office (IPO). On Friday, an alarming number of 2,170 men awaiting housing was noted, marking a rise of 34 from the count taken on Tuesday.
Post December 4th, amid the throng of 4,041 men who approached for asylum, only 398 were granted shelter after an assessment of vulnerability. Subsequently, a provisional arrangement managed to accommodate 1,473. Instead of providing accommodation, these distressed men are compensated with a slightly higher weekly allowance of €113.80.
A call for donation was made on Sunday, particularly for dry bedding, to aid these homeless individuals. Meanwhile, the Department of Children and Integration tasked with managing IPAS remains mute, despite requests for a comment.