More than 1,000 additional beds have been created for emergency accommodation in Dublin during the Covid-19 crisis according to a city council report.
Theses include 400 bedrooms in eight hotels, which are being used for cocooning of vulnerable homeless people since the collapse of tourist bookings.
A report sent to city councillors by DCC Deputy Chief Executive Brendan Kenny and Eileen Gleeson, Director of the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, states that they hope to secure another 100 self-contained apartments for families.
The report states that the council has already secured 165 apartments - on top of the 400 hotel rooms - which is believed to involve vacant Airbnb properties.
Another 470 single occupancy beds have also been created in the hostel system to allow for social distancing. A single occupancy bed means that the occupant has the same bed reserved in a room, which is usually shared with just one other person.
The 1,035 additional beds includes the 657 announced three weeks ago.
The report states that the DRHE self-accommodation team has negotiated reductions in commercial hotel room rates.
It adds that "while this availability of temporary facilities is indeed welcome, we are obviously very keen to maximise the number of long term Housing Units that may become available for Dublin City Council to acquire or to lease over 20/25 years.
"Then we can be in a position to offer permanent/long term housing to more families currently in emergency accommodation".
Meanwhile, the Health Service Executive's Clinical Lead for the Homeless Covid-19 Response, Dr Austin O'Carroll, said the measures have so far prevented any Covid-19 deaths among the homeless community.
He also said that because restrictions on methadone programmes have been relaxed for homeless people with addiction issues, the waiting time has been reduced from 12 weeks to three days. The number starting methadone programmes was 55 over the past month, compared to just five the previous month.
It is understood that the number of rough sleepers in the city is now around 25 people, which is the lowest for decades.
However, those still refusing to move into hostels lack day care facilities, including showers, a situation which has been condemned by Councillor Anthony Flynn of Inner City Helping Homeless.
