The A-to-Z of establishing a social enterprise hub in Dublin’s inner city

ICE works closely with the Department of Social Protection’s Intreo Officers who refer clients to the organisation wishing to become self-employed and establish their own businesses. [Editor’s note: Evanne is referring here to the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) scheme which operates nationwide and is administered locally by local development companies].

ICE also runs the Dublin City Social Enterprise Awards on behalf of Dublin City Council (the only such awards event in the country) as well as a range of youth and refugee and asylum-seeker programmes. It also provides a range of pre and post enterprise support services for its extensive client portfolio.

HOW THE HUB BEGAN

Access to affordable workspace has always been a problem for our clients, so in 2018 the ICE board decided to look into the possibility of setting up an ICE social enterprise hub. The idea was to run it as a social enterprise with 40% of ICE’s marginalised tenants paying well below the market rate while the remaining 60% of the tenants paid the current market rate. First off we had to find a suitable building in the middle of the inner city. No pressure!

We finally persuaded Dublin City Council (DCC) into leasing ICE a derelict former Council Housing Depot in Dublin 7. A friendly quantity surveyor inspected the building and estimated the 12,500 sq ft premises would cost around €250,000 to refurbish. (If only he’d been right).

Then Covid struck and the Council needed the building back to house homeless people during those bleak months. Eventually, in November 2022, we signed the lease. The hub was back on track.

The jolly quantity surveyor appeared again only to deliver the gut-wrenching news that the building would now cost around €1.3 million to refurbish. Even my ice cool chair Vincent Crowley reeled ever so slightly as he absorbed this body blow. There was no going back, but the 10 mark question was: Where would we source the funding?

AMBITION FRIGHTENED CELEBRITY

Optimistically, I persuaded a well known celebrity and a wonderful sponsor of ours, who had been exhorting us to establish an enterprise hub, to visit. The visit lasted a mere five minutes and then she ran for the door shrieking for a taxi!

Fortuitously however, some Government funding via the Department of Rural and Community Development came on stream and by year’s end our finance officer Ger Russell and I had amassed a war chest of €167,000. Then, through a friend, architect Peter Kavanagh entered the picture. Himself, myself and Ger sat around a wonky desk downstairs looking at floor plans and discussing some initial thoughts for the new hub. Our plans included hot-desking, co-working spaces, individual offices, a training room and a community space, as well as a craft-makers’ space.

RAY WILSON’S SURPRISE VISIT

In February, 2023, Ray Wilson, ICE’s patron – but better known for owning half of Shamrock Rovers F.C. – surprised us with a flying visit from Sydney. He took one look and suggested an immediate meeting with Liam Kenny, managing director of John Paul Construction (JPC).

Strolling in on Good Friday, Liam assessed the depot with an eagle eye and spoke the magic words – “Yes! John Paul Construction can do something to help. ICE can be our charity of choice for 2023.”

Within a fortnight, Liam had dispatched his crack team of head honcho and a fizzing bundle of energy Gary Howard, bean counters Gary Mitchell and Christian Gibney, and their head of health and safety Norman Keville. Over the following weeks, Ger Russell, the JPC lads and I huddled in the hub’s icy kitchen, discussing possible refurbishment plans and bonding over mugs of tea and jammy dodgers. They were talking in terms of millions. Much laughter was heard, especially when I told them that the budget was €167,000.

WORKING IN PHASES

It was decided that on such a tight budget the best way of aligning ICE’s strategic needs with the refurbishing requirement would be to undertake the work in three phases. Phase A included the top floor of the Depot and the outside Annex; after that we could tackle the ground floor.

Next, laconic site manager Paul Reynolds joined the team. He, like the rest of the JPC lads, took to the project straight away. A best practice mode of delivery was chosen by the lads, inspired by the U.S. model of Integrated Project Delivery. This meant that the ICE and the JPC teams worked as a single non-hierarchical unit with a shared goal, optimising open communication and ensuring timely planning and decision making. Within four and a half months, the designated area was completely gutted and bought ‘up to fit purposes’ standards.

The JPC lads gave so much – a huge amount of pro bono time, enthusiasm and sheer good humour. They also persuaded all of their suppliers to provide either free labour or hugely discounted rates. This generosity was one of the keys to the project’s success. The true cost of the project was €338,008, but pro bono support meant that the final cost was €91,820, a saving overall of 73% for ICE. This allowed ICE and four other anchor tenants to move into the hub in mid-September last.

PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP

The way in which this collaboration was undertaken was truly innovative. John Paul Construction, Dublin City Council and ICE created a Private-Public Partnership which delivered a very successful project for the greater social good. The phased nature of the project was unusual but necessary. The decision to focus the budget on key areas aligned with ICE’s strategic goal of getting into the building as soon as possible so as to provide accessible workspace for their clients.

From the socially innovative perspective, JPC created a sustainable supply chain partnership that would work for other projects; it is replicable. Our original once-off project has become a long-term partnership with Liam Kenny who is now an ICE board director. The ICE project gave the lads and their suppliers a huge ‘feel good factor’ and showed them the tremendous value of a partnership united towards a common goal.

GAINING A REPUTATION

The hub now houses ICE and six other anchor tenants, so there are now 24 or 25 entrepreneurs all working out of the hub. When fully refurbished ICE’s hub will house between 60-70 tenants, all working in a supportive, nurturing environment. The hub will provide a ‘safe space’ for clients of all nationalities to develop businesses with a wide range of in-house supports and services to help them grow in a sustainable fashion.

Even though only partially refurbished, the now christened ‘Hub on the Hill’ is quickly gaining a reputation throughout the community and voluntary sector as a warm welcoming space – many community groups are now utilising its training rooms, and lots of sole traders and social enterprises are availing of the hot desking facilities.

STILL NEED HALF A MILLION

At the time of writing this article, ICE had required €900,000 to finish off the large ground floor space. However, on February 24th, we received a most welcome grant of €400,000 under the Department of Rural and Community Development’s Community Recognition Fund for Phase 2 of the refurbishment. Huge thanks to my favourite department!

ICE and John Paul Construction are picking up their tools again and then it’s onto sourcing a further half a million for the final phase of the ‘Hub on the Hill’!

Visitors are welcome to call into the Hub on the Hill – at 49/50 Coleraine Street, Smithfield, Dublin 7 (D07 XW62). T: 01 6174852. More info: innercityenterprise.com

More info on the Community Recognition Fund at: gov.ie/en

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