“Start by doing what is necessary”
By Emma Kelly
This leaflet of 2019 for the Capuchin Day Centre for Homeless People is of simple make and design. It is a trifold model measuring 27cm x 12cm when closed, its six pages of printed yellow paper dominated by paragraphs of text, with a selection of images.
Laid out in a concise and accessible way, the text sets out what the centre is, focusing on its history working with those in need within Dublin 7 and its work today, detailing the services, from the twice daily meals to food parcels, baby essentials to medical services. It also seeks to set out the centre as a space free of judgement, towards anyone visiting and availing of the free services, in line with the teachings of St Francis of Assissi. His words sit at the centre of the leaflet’s cover: ‘Start by doing what is necessary; Do what is possible; Then you will achieve the impossible.” This is intended to be a reminder of the origin of the Capuchins and the spirit in which they work. The cover incorporates the brown of the robes worn by the order, as well as the green of the Bow Street door, an image entwined with the centre and the work they do.
The images used denote not only the centre as it is today, with the inclusion of the door on Bow Street as well as key figures Brother Kevin and Brother Sean, but also those that highlight the origins of the centre and the teachings that guide it. Just above the words of Assisi is the emblem of the Franciscans, an order dedicated to helping those in need. The emblem depicts a robe clad brother standing, arms wide open, in a pose resembling both that of the cross and that of a gesture of welcome, as if drawing someone in. The robe clad figure appears again in the simple yet emotive ‘No One Goes Hungry’ image, which depicts a brother helping someone in need by ladling food into a bowl.
A constant presence in the Dublin 7 area since 1969 when it was founded by Brother Kevin Crowley to feed the homeless of the city, the Capuchin Day Centre has remained steadfast in its commitment to those in need within Dublin 7, adapting to the issues plighting the area as well as the changing needs of those presenting at the centre. In present day Dublin, the centre contends with the repercussions of social issues such as housing, homelessness and poverty. The lack of affordable housing and increasing rents push increasing numbers into homelessness or uncertain housing conditions, removing the safety net of a home from thousands of lives. Of the crisis the centre states “Despite our long history of responding to the changing needs, nothing has prepared us for the current situation and we are almost swamped with the demand for the service.” (CDC Leaflet, 2019)
The increase in demand is most visible to the outside world in the form of the queues that gather on Bow street daily. For breakfast 200-300 people attend, with this number increasing to 500-600 people for lunch. 1,400 people who need help with their grocery supplies collect basic food parcels on Wednesdays, whilst a number of parcels are also provided daily to families who live in B&Bs and hotels (CDC Leaflet, 2019). The provision of care to families has become all the more important as the number of children attending the centre has risen in recent years 4,389 in 2011 to 11,300 in 2018 (Welcome, Capuchin Day Centre, nd). The centre notes that these children are “‘tragic human casualties of failed government policies and Action Plans charged with ‘cherishing all the children of the state equally’(Welcome, Capuchin Day Centre, nd).
Whilst Dublin 7 has undergone seismic changes over the last number of decades in terms of redevelopment and investment, so many of the issues that the centre contends with aren't new and are further exacerbated by what is happening around them. The leaflet is emblematic of these social crises and the work of the centre within Dublin 7 to provide the basics to those who are often reduced to statistics in official reports, contending with growing numbers and changing needs, ensuring no one goes without.
Image Credits
Image 1: The Capuchin Day Centre, Dublin. (2019). The Capuchin Day Centre. Dublin. Photographs authors own. The leaflet was kindly given to the author by Alan Bailey of the Capuchin Day Centre.
Image 2: Google Maps, 2020. Capuchin Day Centre and surrounding area.Google Maps [online] Available from https://www.google.ie/maps/place/Capuchin+Day+Centre/@53.3493102,-6.2780236,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x48670c294dc3cd2f:0x4578dda0201dd098!8m2!3d53.349307!4d-6.2758349.[Accessed 13 June 2020].