IRSP ACTIVISTS behind a protest against a West Belfast homeless support centre have promised more action in the time ahead.

However, the Welcome Centre management says they are serving" the most vulnerable people in society".

A protest, organised by the Irish Republican Socialist Party (IRSP) which included residents, was held outside The Welcome Organisation in Townsend Street last Friday. The protest went ahead despite calls for it to be called off.

IRSP's Michael Kelly who addressed the protest said residents are "suffering greatly" due to the presence of the Welcome Organisation on their doorstep. He said issues raised include "open heroin injecting in front of kids".

"Meanwhile this community are forced to live like prisoners in their own homes," he added. "We have given the management of this place the time, space and respect to arrange themselves to stop the growing negative impact on the local community."

Before the protest, Jo Daykin-Goodall, Chief Executive of the Welcome Organisation, stressed the importance of the homeless charity's work.

“The people we support are the most vulnerable homeless people in Belfast – they are the victims of wider societal issues that are affecting people across Belfast, Northern Ireland and further afield," she explained.

"People affected by homelessness come to our Drop-in Centre to access basic needs like food, clothes and showers but also crucially to avail of potentially life-saving support on housing, benefits and help to access health care. 

"While some of the people who use our services suffer from poor mental health and addictions, it is important to stress that not everyone who is homeless has an addiction and not everyone who has an addiction is homeless. The societal problems are wide and complex, as are the reasons why people become homeless." 

Jo said the housing stock in Belfast "is on its knees" and added that Belfast has a serious drug problem with an increasing number of people also suffering from poor mental health. 

"There is also a worrying increase in the number of women affected by homelessness," she said. "In the past year 2,690 single females presented as homeless to the Housing Executive. 

"The growing number of homeless people, and a serious lack of investment in addiction and mental health services and homelessness services, is the real crisis here. The people who we support across our services are victims of a broken society and protests like this only serve to re-victimise them. 

"While we understand the concerns of local residents, we would encourage them to come and talk to us; we have made it very clear that our doors are always open to them."

People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll has called for increased homelessness, mental health, and addiction services in Belfast.

“Working class areas are in the grips of both a homelessness emergency and a deepening mental health and drug addiction crisis,” he said. 

“Where the state has failed to provide public homes, mental health services, and addiction support, charities like the Welcome Organisation have been forced to pick up the pieces. 

“The unfortunate reality is that crisis services are desperately needed in working class communities like West Belfast. This constituency has the worst housing waiting list in the North and also has some of the highest levels of addiction due to extreme poverty and wealth inequality."