Dublin Mayor to hold Christmas day dinner for the homeless at Mansion House

DUBLIN: Concerns were raised that the Christmas dinner routine for the homeless in Dublin could be disrupted this time around. However this concern was allayed with the mayor’s decisive decision. Concerns were raised as to whether the Christmas dinner, which has been running for years, will be cancelled due to the unavailability of RDS, a regular dining venue, due to transport issues.

Dublin Mayor Hazel Chu has been approached by the organisers, the Knights of Saint Columbanus for help following concerns over the availability of the venue.

The issue was resolved when Lord Mayor of Dublin announced that the Mansion House, her official residence, would be left for dinner. It can accommodate over 200 people. But the Mayor decided to have a Christmas dinner on the grounds of the Mansion House, because there is no proper ventilation inside.

“We have a garden space here, and we want to bring in heaters as well. We want it to be a comfortable place to eat, we are not going to give them a meal and say ‘see you later!’” Mayor Chu said. According to current HSE guidelines, only 15 people are allowed to gather outside. Therefore, pods of 15 people will be allowed in the Mansion House grounds.

Mayor Chu also asked Dublin City Council to close Dawson Street on that day. The mayor added that this will ensure that people get proper security. Food will be provided by the Knights of Saint Columbanus and they will start serving from morning till noon.

As the Mayor of Dublin, Chu said she is well aware of the homeless crisis and that more than 40 homeless people had already died on the streets of the capital this year.

“We have a homeless taskforce that meets weekly now, where previously it was only monthly. We are in the middle of preparing a brief for Housing Minister, Darragh O’Brien who we will be meeting next week on December 11th.” she said.