This is a Dublin homeless shelter. If you are not a property owner
then this is the sort of place you could end up in. It's run by the
St. Vincent de Paul and is one of the many such places to be found
in and around the city. This one is perhaps one minutes walks from
Temple Bar, the most affluent neighborhood in the city centre.
There is little dignity to be found here. There are rules and you
must obey them or you just don't get in. They of course will tell
you that there have to be rules and that many, indeed most of the
patrons are addicted to alcohol or drugs but what they don't tell you
is that the majority of these self same people were reared by the
catholic church and as a result ended up with low self esteem and
few social skills. This is charity and you know it. You have no
rights in a place such as this. You cannot demand better service.
There is little if any social housing be built in Ireland. The money
that once went to provide it is now shared out between an ever
increasing number of charities all of which are privately run
and answerable to no one. There are few volunteers working in
them and most of the staff are professional social workers. The
directors are well paid and it must be stressed yet again that
they don't have to answer to anyone. There is no corporate tax.
The people who use the services of these places are poor
and as such have no power. They cannot demand a better
service or to be treated with some dignity. They put up or shut
up, they have no other option.