The scramble to find emergency accommodation in time for an expected "tsunami" of homelessness has begun in Dublin.
Thousands of households are facing homelessness when the ban on no fault evictions is lifted at the end of the month. Figures released by the Residential Tenancies Board show 4,741 Notices of Termination were issued between July and September of last year.
These notices will become active when the eviction ban is lifted and the tenants will be forced to try and find new accommodation in an incredibly constrained market. Dublin City Council has been making preparations for the wave of new homeless if the ban is lifted.
Read more: Interactive map lets terrified tenants share eviction fears as ban set to be lifted
The local authority plans to have 100 additional emergency accommodation beds for single adults by the end of March as well as 1,250 new beds in family hubs by the end of June. Approved Housing Bodies have been asked to expand their emergency accommodation provision to cover the influx expected over the coming months.
The Peter McVerry Trust has already added 60 beds to their emergency accommodation stock as well as a "small family homeless service". On top of this, the homeless charity is looking at using a 24 bedroom boutique hotel for "short-term accommodation".
A spokesman for the Peter McVerry Trust did not confirm nor deny they planned to use the building to provide emergency accommodation when asked by Dublin Live.
Latchfords Townhouse and Boutique Hotel at 99/100 Baggot Street Lower hit the market at a guiding price of €5 million in 2021 and the homeless charity applied for funding to purchase the buildings through Dublin City Council's Capital Assistance Scheme. DCC approved an application from the Peter McVerry Trust to use the hotel for "short-term accommodation" earlier this month.
No works were proposed as part of the application and there was no mention of the building being used as emergency accommodation. Instead, the exemption application compiled by planning consultants states: "Our client intends to continue using the property to provide short-term accommodation up to a maximum of 6 months.
"Rooms will be provided to each person on a short-term basis and services will be provided including the provision of clean linen, breakfast and room cleaning".
The documents also argue that the Development Plan for the city does not define "short-term accommodation" and that there will be "no discernible change" to the use of the buildings.
A spokesman for the Peter McVerry Trust said: "In conjunction with our planning consultants PMVT is working on getting clarity from DCC on permitted use of the property on 99/100 Baggot Street. Now that we have a further decision on this from DCC’s Planning Department we are reviewing that decision and what may be the appropriate next steps to use the building.
"As regards wider homeless provision PMVT is working closely with the Dublin Region Homeless Executive and local authorities in Dublin to offer additional accommodation and have recently added 60 beds for singles and opened a small family homeless service in South Dublin too."
A previous exemption application from the Peter McVerry Trust sought to turn the hotel into a 74 bed homeless hostel. A judicial review was lodged by two businesses on the street which resulted in the plans being quashed.
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