LAST UPDATE | 6 Jan
DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL has defended proposals to clamp down on on-street soup runs for homeless people, saying that it wants to ensure that groups “operating as charities will be regulated as charities”.
The monthly meeting of the council heard that the local authority does not want to ban the services, but instead wants the services “safe and secure” for volunteers and service users through a new licensing system requiring “necessary standards” for operators.
The proposed bye-laws could put an end to on-street soup kitchens and food banks for homeless people in the capital over health and safety concerns if they are not signed up to the new policy – but they have faced criticism by volunteer groups.
The proposal arose in a report by a social policy consultant for Dublin City Council three years ago, who linked the services to anti-social behaviour, such as drug-dealing, and recommended that the runs should be placed indoors and elsewhere.
Senior council housing official Mick Mulhern told tonight’s meeting of councillors that it has found soup runs organised mainly by grassroots movements and faith-led groups.
These were a source of foodstuff, groceries and social contact for the people availing of their services, Mulhern outlined.
Mulhern said the council wants to pursue a licensing system for each soup kitchen and food bank as a way of “strengthening standards” for the services.
This would involve the groups “providing food in line with HSE standards” as a way of meeting standards set out by such a licensing system.
Further discussions on the bye-laws will take place on one of the council’s strategic policy committees, an internal body examining its approach to different measures.
The meeting heard that the matter will likely come back before all 64 councillors for approval in the coming months.
The council came in for criticism during the debate for its communication around the bye-laws, with Fine Gael councillor Colm O’Rourke saying that it was “misinformation” to claim the soup kitchens would be halted in their entirety.
“We need to be absolutely clear here. This is not about stopping a service, it’s about improving it,” said O’Rourke, who pointed to his experience in the homeless sector. “If it was stopped it would be a disgrace.”
During his presentation, Mulhern told councillors that a report carried out by the council three years ago suggested it was “unclear as to who was generally availing of these services”. He added that people using the soup runs were “generally not people availing of homeless services” operated by the city council.
These comments came in for criticism by a number of councillors, with Sinn Féin’s Daithi Doolan saying that the council should not “sit in judgement of anybody” using the soup kitchens.
“People wouldn’t be queuing in the cold, in the dark, unless those services were needed,” Doolan said.
He added that the council was not attempting to “undermine” services and urged full consultation with all soup kitchens before any final decision was made on the bye-laws.
Social Democrats councillor Lesley Byrne said it was not for the council “to moralise” on whether people using food banks were living in homeless services.
She added that her party’s position was that – when the bye-laws were decided – there could be “no withdrawal of services until there are concrete” replacements in place.
Independent councillor Ciaran Perry, who told the chamber of his own involvement with on-street food banks, said there was a concern among some food providers that the licensing system was due to the “visibility of food poverty” being a “politically embarrassing” sight on the streets of the capital.
However, Perry said that “genuine” providers wanted a “proper system” that would both protect them and the people they’re servicing.
He said a licensing system is workable but added that requiring soup kitchens to become charities was “certainly not” feasible due to the work needed to acquire the status.
Perry said that indoor facilities would be preferable as a future solution, while warning these couldn’t be “overly managed” by charities. This was supported by Byrne of the Social Democrats, who said there was a risk that “managerialism” of volunteer groups could see the area become driven by profit.
Following stinging criticism by councillors over the quality of food provided at council-linked emergency accommodation centres, Mulhern said the local authority would also check whether the meals are meeting the standard.
“We receive very low complaints by tenants in those facilities, but we will look at that again now if there are particular locations where councillors feel there is bad provision,” Mulhern said. “There is a standard that has to be met.”
With reporting by Muiris O’Cearbhaill
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