A charity offering housing and other supports to veterans of the Defence Forces has seen an increase in demand for its services amid the rising cost of living.
Óglaigh Náisiúnta na hÉireann (ONE), which says it has helped more than 1,000 veterans out of homelessness, say former troops of all ages are now seeking their services.
Richard Dillon, a House Manager at one of the four residential units run by ONE, says there is a variety of reasons linked to serving in the Defence Forces which results in some personnel finding themselves in difficulty.
"Over the years, quite a lot of army veterans now are running into problems," Mr Dillon said.
"Social, economic problems in relation to living accommodation, lack of social housing, they can't afford private accommodation.
"We make sure in the best way we can that they don't end up on the streets.
"Some of it is that people become institutionalised in a way. If you live in a barracks for 30 or 40 years, and you haven't made a whole lot of a life outside, well, then you'll run into trouble.
"A lot of guys when they come out, they don't have the economic background to maintain having a home, a lot of it as well is marital breakdown.
"A lot of long hours in the Defence forces, a lot of trips overseas, so people see and do things and just work long hours that just start separating them from society in general."
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He said since Covid they have seen an increase in demand for their services and a rise in the number of younger ex-troops seeking support.
"We've had people from 27 up to 70 living in the house," Mr Dillon added.
"And because of the contract system within the Defence forces, we're now running into more and more younger people.
"So when they come out, if they don't get a job and in some cases some of our people have jobs, but it won't cover the accommodation."
ONE says it provides over 18,500 bed nights a year to veterans and has helped more than a thousand of them out of homelessness.
Brú Na Bfhiann - the home of the brave - in Dublin is one of the four homes run by ONE, alongside services in Letterkenny, Athlone and Cobh.
One of its residents Martin Clarke from Cabra in Dublin served in the Defence Forces for 26 years.
"In the Defence forces, you're sort of closeted from the real world," he said.
"A lot of people will struggle with normal life when they come out because it's very a structured existence."
He said living at the ONE residential unit has saved his life and helped him on the road to sobriety
"I'd be homeless, it wouldn't be good for me mental health or sobriety," he said.
"It's a good environment. Because we still sort of talk in military terms, you know, like, slang, military slang and so forth.
"We're talking about overseas missions and things in the newspaper. Its a good environment".
Brendan Monaghan, originally from Ballyfermot in Dublin also found himself on the brink of homelessness after a marriage breakdown.
He says living with his former servicemen has helped him significantly.
"When you go through a really dark place, and you find it very, very hard to get out of," Mr Monaghan said.
"And I mean, it can be really, really hard. But when you have comrades around you that you know, we in the army have been through the same.
"When I was in the Lebanon in '91 one of the lads got shot and that put us in a very, very deep, deep sensation.
"And even now, every now and then, that will hit you. But when it does hit you, you actually need to have some type of support around you.
"And here at the house, you have the counsellor, the house manager, we've got everybody here. And it's just so so easy to talk to people because they've all been there and they've all done that."
'Policy has to end'
Meanwhile, Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheál Martin said it is not tenable for his department to allow military houses to fall into dilapidation during a housing crisis.
Speaking in the Dáil, he said it has been the policy over the last number of years to discontinue providing houses for military personnel, but that this policy has to end.
Cathal Berry TD told the Tánaiste that there are 62 vacant houses in Curragh Camp in Co Kildare, a situation he described as unconscionable.
He said there has to be a change in policy in the Department of Defence to accommodate military families on military premises.
He called on the minister to give a direction to renovate the vacant houses and allocate them to military families take pressure off the local rental market.
Mr Berry said the move would fix housing, rural dereliction and help to solve the retention crisis in the Defence Forces.
The Tánaiste said he recently refused to approve the demolition of ten houses.
He said every government agency has a role to play in solving the housing crisis, adding that it is not just a problem for the Department of Housing.
ONE launched a unique fundraiser today in the window of a pop up shop on Dublin's Grafton Street, they have erected a display of camouflage gear embedded with a QR code to encourage donations towards their work.
The Defence Forces says it unwavering in its support for recognised Veterans Associations
It says the Department of Defence provides annual funding to projects endorsed by the three Veterans' organisations and the Defence Forces provides assistance by way of supporting fund raising events, logistical support and facilities in a number of Defence Forces locations for Veterans' Support Centres.
It added that the Commission on the Defence Forces' recommended the establishment of an Office of Veterans’ Affairs to co-ordinate the supports to veterans in the future.
Fifth home
Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, ONE Chief Executive Cormac Kirwan said its houses in Cobh and Athlone are full, the house in Letterkenny is at 80% capacity and in Dublin the house is 65% full.
Mr Kirwan said one of the charity's objectives is to transition homeless residents to independent living and last year five residents were moved to independent living in Dublin.
"We're also developing our fifth home, which would be open in Cork city at the end of 2023 and our objective is to open further homes in Limerick in 2024, in Kildare, in Galway and in Louth - all to meet the demand of struggling veterans that are within that homeless space," Mr Kirwan said.
"You would have potential issues that would come from service, be it exposure to circumstances, difficult conflicts both at home and also circumstances abroad that can trigger other issues like depression, anxiety, PTSD.
"But you also have the challenges of financial challenges that we have at the moment in relation to inflationary rises and also marital breakdown, and so from an organisation, our responsibility, our challenge is to provide the support to veterans that are struggling."
Mr Kirwan explained that the homes that are available provide short-term and long-term accommodation.
In Dublin, he said, the ambition would be to turn residents around within three years "and that means giving them the life skills to live independently on their own, which is ultimately our objective".
"Whereas if you look at our homes and our residents outside of Dublin, they're probably there for a much longer haul in recognition of the age profile and possibly the challenge that they've been institutionalised for so long that they don't have those independent skills," he said.
"So, it will be a combination of both, but we don't move anybody on until they're ready to move on and we work in consultation with whichever local authority the home would be located within."
