Dublin Lord Mayor Hazel Chu to host Christmas dinner for the homeless at Mansion House

2020's annual dinner will go ahead.

Dublin Lord Mayor will be hosting this year's annual Christmas dinner for the homeless at the Mansion House. The dinner, which usually takes place in the RDS, was cancelled due to transport issues, prompting Chu to offer space in the Dawson's Street venue for the event. Chu confirmed the news on Twitter this week, stating that space in the Mansion House's forecourt and garden will be available to ensure the dinner goes ahead. "Annually there is a Christmas dinner for the homeless at RDS," she wrote on Twitter. "Unfortunately they can't do it there this year due to Covid so instead I've offered space here (forecourt and garden) and will be here on the day with the organisers to distribute Christmas dinners." https://twitter.com/hazechu/status/1333807004889047041?s=20 On Christmas Day, gatherings of up to 15 people will be permitted outdoors. Chu plans to set up pods of 15 on the grounds of the Mansion House to ensure as many homeless people as possible can avail of a warm meal. Dinner will be provide by the Knights of Saint Columbanus and will run from the morning through the afternoon on December 25. As of October 2020, there were almost 9,000 people homeless and relying on emergency accommodation in Ireland. This comes as the Peter McVerry Trust announces it has helped over 1,200 people secure a home this year, a 50% increase on 2019. The national housing and homeless charity said today that it helped people find homes in over 20 local authority areas with Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Kildare, Louth, Waterford, and Kerry being the areas with the highest number of people supported into housing. “We are absolutely delighted to help over 1,200 people secure a home this year, an increase of 50% on 2019," said Pat Doyle, CEO. "We all know that this year has been an extremely challenging one for so many people in our society. Each and every time we can help someone get the keys to their own home is a privilege and offers us much needed hope and encouragement.” “Over the course of the year we have worked relentlessly to identify, secure and support people into homes on a daily basis. Our staff have had a very difficult year on the frontline managing and responding to Covid-19 but we have never lost sight of our goal to secure as many homes as we can for those in need."