Merchant’s Quay runs a new night café, and its opening is due to the 20-point plan drafted up after Jonathan Corrie’s death.
In December 2014, Jonathan Corrie’s body was found lying prone just across from Leinster House. A homeless father of two, he had died near where the leaders of the country work.
It was a jarring moment for Ireland’s government, and the country as a whole, and the response was immediate. A homelessness forum was held in the capital, and Environment Minister Alan Kelly pledged that no one would have to sleep rough in Dublin at Christmas, unless they made that choice themselves.
20-point plan
A 20-point plan was drafted in an effort to tackle the homeless issue. One of the initiatives to come out of this was a Night Café at Merchant’s Quay, which opened at 11pm last night.
The centre usually operates day services from 7.30am to 8.30pm, and this new service will run from 11pm to 7.30am. People can stay on after 7.30am for breakfast, meaning they won’t have to leave.
The night service isn’t a drop-in one – it can only be accessed through the local authority’s ‘housing first’ service facility.
Mark Kennedy, day services manager of Merchant’s Quay, said that Jonathan Corrie himself had used the services of Merchant’s Quay. This adds a poignant edge to last night’s opening.
Source: Aoife Barry, thejournal.ie, 22/01/15