Peter McVerry Trust calls for AirBnb apartments to be used to house homeless

CEO of the Peter McVerry Trust, Pat Doyle, says they have also found more housing units for rough sleepers during the coronavirus pandemic.

"The good news is that we have managed to get people off the street because there is no one else on the street so we have been able to find people just like we did during Storm Emma.

"So we our Housing First figures have gone up. We got a lad into Housing First this week, he got his own apartment in the city and he had been sleeping on Henry Street for years.

"So we have been able to reduce the number right down of those who are sleeping on the street."

The homeless charity has said it wants to use AirBnb apartments that tourists would normally use to house rough sleepers instead.

Mr Doyle Doyle is calling on the Government to house homeless people in apartments instead of hotels.

"Here in Dublin, we are putting tourists into fabulous AirBnb apartments in the middle of the city and we are putting homeless families into hotels.

"So really what we need to do is make more hotels available at a cheaper rate for tourists and then put the families and homeless people into the apartments.

"What we're saying is that some of this stock we need to buy it up now."

The latest restrictions in operation since Friday, March 27 mandate that everyone should stay at home, only leaving to:
• Shop for essential food and household goods;
• Attend medical appointments, collect medicine or other health products;
• Care for children, older people or other vulnerable people - this excludes social family visits;
• Exercise outdoors - within 2kms of your home and only with members of your own household, keeping 2 metres distance between you and other people
• Travel to work if you provide an essential service - be sure to practice social distancing