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Six young homeless people are moving into these formerly dilapidated flats

The building in Dublin city was transformed by the Peter McVerry Trust.

Michelle Hennessy / TheJournal.ie Michelle Hennessy / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

IT DOESN’T LOOK like much from the outside but behind the blue door at 3 Pim Street in Dublin lies six fresh starts for young people who have had very difficult lives.

The building was previously uninhabitable, what is known as a ‘void’ in housing terms.

That was until the Dublin City Council handed it over to homeless charity the Peter McVerry Trust for a complete transformation. Supported by €100,000 in funding and other practical assistance from French construction company Saint-Gobain, the charity managed to complete a complex that will now be home to six people.

The end result is six units that are light, homely and finished to a very high quality. Homes to be proud of.

Michelle Hennessy / TheJournal.ie Michelle Hennessy / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

Each unit can house one person, with a studio and one-bed flat on the ground floor and four other one-beds spread between the first and second floors.

This place will be the beginning of a new chapter in the lives of six young people, some of whom have come through the care system and have never had a stable home life.

Showing TheJournal.ie around the complex, CEO of the trust Pat Doyle explained some of the new tenants were coming from the St Catherine’s Foyer hostel for young people located just around the corner.

Many of the people living in the hostel have became homeless because of family issues. They have few belongings of their own and, unlike some of their peers flying the nest, they don’t have parents’ homes to nab household items from for their new flats, he said.

With this in mind, the trust made sure to provide everything they would need down to personal touches like cushions, pictures for the walls, decorative lamps and all of the kitchen essentials.

Michelle Hennessy / TheJournal.ie Michelle Hennessy / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

“This is a good news story for the Peter McVerry Trust,” Doyle said.

Sometime when they go into places you think you’re never going to get out of homelessness and now they have the key to the door for life.

Two tenants have already moved in. Both are working steady jobs and are looking forward in their lives with positivity.

In a documentary about the project filmed by the trust, one of the tenants Brian says he is “overwhelmed” by this fresh start.

I’ll be able to cook in my own kitchen. That coming along is probably one of the most exciting things say in the last six years ever since it got to its peak of the worst of the situation.

Michelle Hennessy / TheJournal.ie Michelle Hennessy / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

The other tenant Emma said she is now living somewhere where she feels safe.

“I’m not going to end up homeless again. I don’t have to worry about being homeless again.”

That literally feels like the weight of the world off your shoulders.

Michelle Hennessy Michelle Hennessy

Michelle Hennessy / TheJournal.ie Michelle Hennessy / TheJournal.ie / TheJournal.ie

At the official launch of the new units earlier today was Dublin Lord Mayor Críona Ní Dhalaigh who said that while the flats are welcome “we know they are a drop in the ocean to what is needed.”

We are faced in October with a deficit of €18.5 million and we still don’t know how we are going to bridge that deficit, we don’t know how we’re going to address that,” she said referring to the shortfall in homeless services funding in Dublin.

More projects like this one are hugely important, she said, in addressing the city’s massive housing crisis. But today was a day for celebrating and she finished her speech with a fitting saying:

“Níl tinteán mar do thinteán féin – there’s no fireside like your own fireside.”

Read: Homeless man receives job offers after photo of his handwritten CV goes viral>

Homeless in Athens: ‘Greece never dies. But the Greeks will die.’>

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38 Comments
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    Mute Kerry Blake
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    Jul 21st 2015, 9:21 PM

    Best of luck to those moving in I hope it helps you get your feet firmly planted. Good luck a pity it is only an opportunity for 6.

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    Mute jenni
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:13 PM

    Hopefully Kerry, if this works out, they will be able to do the same in a few months

    220
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    Mute Janice Martin
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    Jul 21st 2015, 9:41 PM

    Fair play to Saint Gobain for donating €100,000 and skills to this project. Great to see a company showing real life social responsibility that will make a difference. Hopefully the government can learn from this and understand the positive ripple effect that such a project can have on society.

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    Mute andrew
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:09 PM

    Brilliant project. Bloody depressing that all we have is the likes of a careerist idiot like Alan Kelly to deal with housing. Why not get rid of him and put people like these in his place

    204
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    Mute Jenni Sheridan
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    Jul 21st 2015, 9:26 PM

    I hope those 6 people turn their lives around and pay it forward. good luck to them, a fresh start!

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    Mute graham galvin
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    Jul 21st 2015, 9:26 PM

    Good stuff. The Peter McVerry trust does some great work for homeless. A great guy.

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    Mute Lloyd Hetherington
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    Jul 21st 2015, 9:22 PM

    Best of luck to them. I sincerely hope they make good on this wonderful opportunity.

    302
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    Mute Mary Lyons
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    Jul 21st 2015, 9:23 PM

    What a wonderful project! Those apartments look gorgeous. Leave to the McVerry trust.

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    Mute Fran Rooney
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    Jul 21st 2015, 9:51 PM

    Now they have a place to sleep, maybe study and apply for jobs. Best of luck to all of them.

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    Mute Michael O'Neill
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    Jul 21st 2015, 9:57 PM

    An amazing opportunity for those who have had a rough start in life. those wee personalised extras mentioned in the article will I’m sure make all the difference. Good luck to the new tenants.

    133
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    Mute Joanna
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:05 PM

    Looks nicer than my own gaff. Good for them =)

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    Mute valerie o reilly
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    Jul 21st 2015, 9:52 PM

    Best of luck to them all, hopefully they will make plenty of happy memories here..Fair play to the peter mcverry trust..

    119
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    Mute Shaner Mac
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    Jul 21st 2015, 11:19 PM

    Dublin is littered with these ‘voids’, many council owned. Why do they therefore insist on spending millions on inappropriate hotel accommodation for homeless people and families rather than convert them to housing? More cost effective in the long run, and simply makes more sense.

    108
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    Mute Suzie Sunsine
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:17 PM

    it must be a fantastic feeling to be given a fresh start in life . I hope they are always appreciated and looked after .

    105
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    Mute Scottie Delaney
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    Jul 21st 2015, 11:23 PM

    great project and hats off to saint gobain….100k housed six….imagine what the 30m put into eircodes or the hundreds of millions sunk in to IW could have done

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    Mute Cupid Stunt
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:36 PM

    prehaps if 27 million wasn’t spent on eircode the money could have been spent on homelessness, we were assured that no one would be without a bed by 2016 but it’s going to turn out to be another lie. what they’ll do is give everyone a sleeping bag for one night and take it back the next day.

    96
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    Mute Paul Roche
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    Jul 21st 2015, 11:10 PM

    Dignity.
    Well done!

    89
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    Mute Peter McGlynn
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:11 PM

    Brilliant! More of this! Best of luck to them.

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    Mute aoife kally
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:01 PM

    delighted for them i hope its a stepping stone for even greater things ahead for them in life enjoy u guys! =)

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    Mute Grace Jeaney
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:43 PM

    Wonderful story, well done to all involved. Delighted for these young people.

    72
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    Mute fuve
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:00 PM

    Wow tearsof happiness for those six people. Wish them all the happiness and luck in world. The apartment are lovely and homely looking. True heart can see put into them. Fair play to all involved warms the heart.

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    Mute Patlyndo
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:10 PM

    I hope that these apartments are not viewed by the new occupants as “houses for life”, rather a stepping stone, a lift up and part of a process of integration to life and all that comes with it.

    It would be a shame to see only 6 people availing of this project.

    65
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    Mute Rashers Tierney
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    Jul 21st 2015, 11:10 PM

    And along comes Patlyndo to piss all over it as usual . Read the article.

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    Mute Patlyndo
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    Jul 21st 2015, 11:21 PM

    No rashers, 23 people would disagree with you, see people like me see the reality, we are able to communicate our views in a civil manner, you may not like them, but they are my views.

    I have said nothing negative about the project, what you and others here do not see is down the road – like, what happens if these young people meet other young people and they want to have a family – what good is a one bed unit to them.

    Open your eyes, stop being blind to short term solutions.

    They need to learn the tools of living, how to progress in employment, save money, pay bills – not stay stuck in a one bed unit when they grow as people.

    The project should not end when they are given the key – that should be the beginning of the rest of their lives – not the base for it.

    Oh, I accept your apology.

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    Mute Paudi Onail
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    Jul 22nd 2015, 1:46 AM

    i’m actually quite surprised nobody has dug their feet into 2 of them having steady jobs “sure why can’t they rent” “getting houses for free”. now trolls, there ye go, 2 taxpayers have got their own one beds all for themselves, are ye ok with that?

    hypocrites.

    9
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    Mute Kieran OKeeffe
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:45 PM

    Love to see something like rolled out nationwide..perhaps in association with the men’s sheds and CE schemes..people could keep their building /construction skills up to date and gain when the tide turns..wouldn’t it be a better use of money than paying rent allowance,and really help people long term.

    64
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    Mute Patlyndo
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    Jul 21st 2015, 11:01 PM

    LOL – who pays for the CE schemes?

    Sounds like a Bertie plan.

    People need to be given the tools to help them live their lives – we need to stop making peopke dependent on the state and keeping them there.

    20
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    Mute Living Abroad
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    Jul 22nd 2015, 9:40 AM

    @Patlyndo – TOTALLY agree with you, I heard on the radio a few days ago, that 2 pregnant girls decided to be homeless, because they wanted a free house… simple as that. Disgusting.

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    Mute Ann Reddin
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    Jul 29th 2015, 2:43 AM

    Have you a link to that Living Abroad – NO ye feckin don’t because you made it up….free houses. Your best bet is to stay living abroad with that attitude. Sounds like one of Ednas stories ye feckin eejit.

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    Mute Mary Murphy
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    Jul 21st 2015, 11:26 PM

    gas that 80,000 was spent on CARPET just for the Lord Mayors house

    47
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    Mute Veronica
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    Jul 22nd 2015, 12:33 AM

    Something like this is needed nationwide.. In cork homelessness has become a huge problem due to lack of housing yet tons of them boarded up just idle.. Many other counties also have a homeless issue so hopefully this scheme will be rolled out to all parts of ireland & help ppl make a new life for themselves like these 6

    21
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    Mute Rathminder
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    Jul 22nd 2015, 8:32 AM

    Homes for the “working poor” are needed in all cities. The lack of money for deposits and references from former landlords prevent many people from being able to rent. Not all homeless are unemployed. This is a wonderful opportunity to begin living independently.

    17
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    Mute Sian O Sullivan
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:00 PM

    Yeah clearly anyone who is down on their luck is a crackhead ….

    17
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    Mute Sian O Sullivan
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    Jul 21st 2015, 10:05 PM

    That was in response to a comment that seems to have disappeared ! ( or my phone is playing tricks with me )

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    Mute bethler
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    Jul 22nd 2015, 12:24 AM

    The very best of Luck to them

    13
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    Mute Alan Driscoll
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    Jul 22nd 2015, 8:16 PM

    P. Mc Verry is a tireless campaigner on this issue , since his days in Ballymun he has housed and homed thousands of people across Dublin & elsewhere. He seems to be doing a better job then certain ministers with much larger budgets.

    6
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    Mute Karl Carroll
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    Jul 22nd 2015, 9:46 PM

    Focus Ireland have been doing similar for years. You have to prove your drug free first which is obviously diffcult but it means the person getting the flat is seriously committed to turning their lives around. after I think its 1 year you have to move on though to allow the next person in but the idea is that by then you will have gotten yourself back on track and be able to rent somewhere else.

    that being said, people shouldnt be fooled by articles, theres often empty beds in hostels and shelters that people dont take or arent admitted to as a result of being drunk and / or high. All this homeless love came about because someone who refused help from his own family and charity workers died sleeping rough despite there being a bed available for him.

    4
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