Digital Hub to Open Doors to Homeless
The Digital hub is set to open its gates to the homeless. This coming winter, former industrial premises just off Thomas Street will be acting as a nightly refuge for as many as 100 rough sleepers. The empty building is being made available on a temporary basis to the Dublin regional housing executive for its annual Cold Weather Initiative.
The homeless crises have seen ever increasing numbers of people on the streets of the Capital. Last December’s death of Jonathan Corrie near the gates of Leinster House has brought this crises home to a wider public and led to an increased number of available beds. The Cold Weather Initiative is charged with tackling the ever growing number of rough sleepers throughout the winter months, a time when the street homeless are at their most vulnerable.
Traditionally, the Initiative has dealt largely with single adults and couples but this year will widen its focus to include family homelessness. The ever growing number of family’s facing the Streets has been linked to a dearth of social housing and spiraling rents in the capital and reflects a further deepening of the crisis.
The building, which is located at Digital Hub Campus, will be converted into emergency accommodation and act as a nightly refuge from now until April of next year.
