The High Court has appointed a provisional liquidator to the Dublin-based charity Inner City Helping Homeless (ICHH), after a winding-up petition presented by the Charities Regulator.

Kieran Wallace of KPMG was named as provisional liquidator, and the court listed the hearing of the petition for 1 November.

In a statement, the charities watchdog said that it had not taken the decision to present the petition lightly.

“It is a decision of last resort, in circumstances where the charity’s trustees have ultimately been unable to address the pressing need for stability and certainty for ICHH staff, volunteers and service users,” the regulator said.

Formal complaint

The watchdog said that responsibility for the administration and management of a charity at all times rested with its trustees.

“In circumstances such as those arising in the case of ICHH, this includes responsibility for proposing and implementing an effective and timely resolution to the crisis facing the charity,” it added.

The regulator first received a formal complaint about the charity in late July, and referred the issue to an Garda Síochána. According to the watchdog, it also contacted the ICHH board on 30 July to bring the issue to its attention.

The body says contact with the charity’s board of trustees is continuing, as part of its inquiries.