Food aid for migrants as dream move sours
By Breda Heffernan
Independent.ie
Monday January 07 2008
Hundreds of immigrants are turning to a charity for help each week after their dream move turned sour.
In one day centre alone almost half of all those who attend are foreign nationals, many of whom have been stranded after losing work as the economic forecast grows gloomier.
The Capuchin Day Centre on Bow Street in Dublin provides some 3,300 meals a week as well as another 500 food parcels.
Brother Kevin Crowley who runs the centre has noticed a sharp increase in the number of non-nationals coming to the centre and estimates they now make up more than 40pc of the total number.
“We feed maybe 150-200 people in the morning and up to 330 people in the afternoon and on Wednesdays we also give out food parcels — up to 500 of them. The people who get the parcels are not necessarily homeless but they are people who find it difficult to make ends meet and are on the verge of poverty,” he explained.
Meanwhile Crosscare, which has 100 beds in four homeless shelters across Dublin, estimates that some 10pc of the people who access their services are non-nationals.
– Breda Heffernan