An SDLP councillor has called for an urgent response to the deaths of five people in Belfast.
It comes in the wake of the closure of the Welcome Organisation’s headquarters after an arson attack, after which threats against workmen were sprayed at its premises in the Divis area of west Belfast last month.
The Belfast Telegraph understands the wall was sprayed by the INLA.
Paul Doherty, a councillor in west Belfast, said he’s working with the charity to establish new premises.
He said comments made by workers associated with the charity that more deaths are likely are “absolutely chilling”. “That should focus minds around the scale of what we are dealing with here,” he said.
The deaths of five people underline the crisis around homeless, addiction and mental health, he added. “All of these issues are interlinked and without a proper multi-agency long-term approach we are never going to get these people the support they need.
“Many people in our city are currently in the grip of addiction and we can’t expect charities and volunteers to solve this problem, our health service, with support from the Executive, council and other statutory bodies needs to step in and get this under control.”
He said: “It’s disappointing that at a time when their services are so badly needed that the Welcome Organisation have been forced to close their doors, but I am currently engaging with them to establish a new premises that will better serve their needs and address the concerns of residents around their previous headquarters.”
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Many similar groups are also struggling with funding issues leading to budget cuts that put their existence at risk.
“These tragic deaths show the consequences for failing to adequately support people when they are struggling and at the very least should provide a catalyst for a reversal of these cuts from the Department for Communities and the Executive,” he said.
Speaking after the attack Jude Whyte, chair of the Welcome Organisation, said the safety of staff and service users was the primary concern.
“As an emergency measure, we are looking to make alternative arrangements off-site for our drop-in services with partners in Belfast City Centre to ensure that we can provide the vital support we know that service users need in Belfast,” he said.
“We are continuing to explore our options with statutory and voluntary partners to ensure the future of our drop-in services for people in need.
“The rest of our services including outreach, accommodation based services and floating support continue to operate as normal.”
The Department for Communities and Department of Health have been asked for a response.