Ms Niamh N? Chonchubhair:

We thank the Cathaoirleach and members for the opportunity to address the committee. I am here thanks to my role in Axis, the local community resource centre in Ballymun that welcomes thousands of people through its doors for supports and services that include a community crèche, as well as the programmes of a number of community organisations. I am joined by Fran Neary, principal of our local secondary school, Trinity Comprehensive, which embraces diversity and provides a suite of embedded supports to its students far beyond an academic or curricular focus. We are also members of Ballymun for All, a broad and diverse alliance of community groups, schools, youth services, public representatives and local people who have been gathering and organising since early January with a shared goal that unites us, regardless of politics, lived experience or identities, to respond in a considered way to counteract the messages of intolerance that have arisen due to external agitation, and to counter disinformation in a way that acknowledges the frustrations of some of our neighbours, friends, family members and colleagues without alienating them. Our diversity is what makes this alliance stronger. The Ballymun for All joint statement released last month stated:

We stand in solidarity with the vast majority of the people of Ballymun in opposing the abuse and hatred directed at refugees and asylum seekers in Ballymun over the last few days. Men, women and children, be they residents or newcomers, should not fear for their safety in their homes or on our streets [...] There are many things we need to fix in our area and in our country, such as housing and homelessness, poverty, social equality, drug treatment services, employment, health services, our environment and community facilities. We do not believe these issues should be used by some groups to stoke up fear and hate. We will continue to work collectively to make our area better, bringing out the best in people and fighting for positive change [...] We are redoubling our efforts in our schools and businesses, and in our youth, community and sports groups, and as public representatives, to promote integration.

While none of us can claim to speak for an entire community, common threads emerge as to how we can better support newly arrived vulnerable residents while holding space for people who are also vulnerable or under-resourced and, perhaps, feeling frustrated and alienated due to a lack of information or dialogue. For a community to embrace and plan for new members, it is vital information that is suitable for all ages be created to inform them of new arrivals. Knowledge is power and eradicates a reactive response, instead informing a reflective response with structure, substance and action. An education programme needs to be created for all age groups and delivered in multiple settings to give time and reflective space for people to process and understand the refugee and asylum seeker situation. We need to prepare our communities and create an environment and culture of acceptance, understanding and support for all.

The manager of Ballymun Community Law Centre has highlighted that much of the long-term work on integration that needs to happen will happen at a community level. The will is there. A wealth of local organisations with existing programmes, as well as new ideas, can be used to foster diversity, welcome people and encourage integration. The issue many are coming up against relates to the ability to do outreach work to promote themselves to newcomers and their capacity to grow to meet new demand. What is needed from the Government is shared support for these organisations to allow them to get on and do their best work. Locally, a bespoke issue we are facing is that the social regeneration fund in Ballymun, administered through Dublin City Council, DCC, is facing uncertainty as to its continuity, with many long-standing community organisations not knowing what will become of them.

Locally, a bespoke issue that we are facing is that the social regeneration fund in Ballymun, administered through Dublin City Council, is facing uncertainty as to its continuity, with many long-standing community organisations not knowing what will become of them. While the local area office has done Trojan work to safeguard this essential fund in recent years, community organisations are now having to spend considerable time pursuing new core funding sources, which is not the best use of the energy or resources of these organisations at this critical time.

Local colleagues such as YoungBallymun and the Dublin Northwest Partnership, which employs a refugee support officer, have highlighted concerns, which I will note. YoungBallymun is working with families with babies and young children placed in hotels locally. This is extraordinarily challenging for parents and children. They are doing some therapeutic work with families in temporary accommodation, such as a play therapy project, but living in cramped conditions and also feeling unsafe due to the protests is re-traumatising people. There are no play spaces for children. Rooms are cramped and an entire family sleeping in one room is difficult for all. Food preparation and washing facilities are limited. Residents often cannot eat the food as it is sometimes not culturally appropriate and also not good quality, leading to some people buying from outside, using their limited resources. We know local organisations such as the Movement of Asylum Seekers in Ireland, MASI, Nasc and OurTable have addressed this on a long-term basis. This impacts everybody but it is especially difficult for families with children.

Temporary accommodation is difficult to access for support and service delivery through official channels. International Protection Accommodation Services, IPAS, usually places people without creating connections with local service providers that can help the residents. There is a huge gap between the information and services that are available and residents who are most in need for these.

Ballymun remains a socioeconomically disadvantaged community, already facing many challenges. People finding an outlet to voice feelings of injustice is no surprise, and while we condemn the manner in which protests have been held, moving forward as a society means acknowledging these issues and fixing them at a structural level. Resourcing mental health services, addiction services, providing housing and health services is a significant part of this work. These issues are inseparable from the surge in anti-immigrant sentiment we are seeing at the moment.