AT the June meeting of Clare County Council, Fine Gael’s Johnny Flynn said that there have been issues with some homeless facilities in Ennis.
“I have been asked by constituents to raise the homeless situation,” said Councillor Flynn.
“There was an incidence of people sleeping outside of Westbrook out on the Gort Road, on the green area overnight. Children were passing in and out.
“Residents in Aughanteeroe feel they are not getting access to the management of that facility, they need access and meetings on a regular basis to alleviate fears and concerns,” he said.
Councillor Flynn also said residents in the area were concerned that a homeless hostel may be put into a HSE office building adjacent to Westbrook. He added that residents in another part of Ennis also have concerns.
“I’ve had a number of complaints from residents around the Clare Road, where the Laurel Lodge is located, about drug dealing and anti-social behaviour there.”
“They believe there has been a significant change from low to high dependency occupants in that hostel.”
Responding, Siobhán McNulty of the Council’s executive said, “We’re working with An Garda Siochána and the agencies in supporting those homeless clients.
“Some clients have an acute need and service interventions are being provided to support them. We’re continuing to liaise with service providers; in some instances they weren’t known to the service providers and in some instances we’ve had to call in the support of the Garda Siochána to deal with some issues.
“We’re continuing to work with agencies to ensure that the service is contained within the buildings and there’s no overspill into the community.”
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.