Late-night welfare van nicknamed ‘The Nee-Naw' launches in Dublin this weekend

Irish Independent

21 hours ago

Known as 'Dublin Nights Help Zone', the van is designed to be there for people who feel unwell, overwhelmed or simply in need of a calm space in the city to regroup.
The initiative of Dublin City Council (DCC), funded by the Department of Justice, will start operations on Friday, July 4, and be in place every subsequent Friday and Saturday night for a 6 to 8-week pilot period.
It is to be stationed on Camden Street between 10pm and 3am for the weekend nights it is operating.
Staffed by a dedicated welfare team, including a medic, welfare officer, and two security officers, the mobile unit promises 'non-judgmental, approachable support' to anyone who needs it.
It will be branded with Dublin City Council and Dublinnights.ie logos, but the largest sign on the van will be its nickname, The Nee-Naw.
'The service will also be affectionately referred to in public as 'The Nee-Naw', chosen to make the service feel more approachable and easier to identify,' said Ray O'Donoghue, Dublin's night-time economy advisor.
'It's about making sure help is visible, stigma-free, and easy to access.'
The rollout of the welfare scheme is a component of the national Night-Time Economy Advisor Pilot Scheme, and aims to promote an atmosphere of community engagement and harm reduction on nights out.
Chief executive of DCC, Richard Shakespeare, said: 'The Dublin Nights Help Zone is a practical, people-focused initiative that supports our goal of making Dublin a safer, more welcoming city at night.
'By providing real-time welfare support in a key nightlife area, this pilot demonstrates how cities can actively support vibrant night-time activity while prioritising public safety and well-being.'
Councillor Rachael Batten, who chairs the council's Economic Development and Enterprise SPC, said the new scheme was about providing 'real, practical support' to Dubliners on nights out.
'The Dublin Nights Help Zone sends a strong message that we care about the safety, wellbeing, and dignity of everyone enjoying Dublin at night,' the Fianna Fáil member said.
'The Nee-Naw' follows on from a previous pilot welfare area set up during the busy Christmas period last December, when a static 'safe space' operated at Foster Place near College Green.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme