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Housing Crisis
Number of people on housing waiting lists up nearly 4,000 in last THREE MONTHS
Ireland’s housing problem is set to be one of the hottest topics in the coming election.
10.02pm, 4 Feb 2016
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THE NUMBER OF people on local authority housing lists has sprouted massively in the last three months.
A new investigation by RTÉ Prime Time has found that the numbers of people on a waiting list for social housing has grown by over 2% in the last four months from 135,832 to 139,359, an increase of 3,527.
The housing list in Dublin has grown to an even greater extent, by 2.69% between the end of October 2015 and the end of January.
The 139,359 on waiting lists nationally includes many people who are claiming a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP).
Speaking to Prime Time, David Hamill from Kells, Co Meath, described how he has been homeless since the beginning of last year:
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“Me and my daughter have been homeless since last February, it’s a year now.”
The council are telling me it’s going to be six or seven years before we’re homed.
David Hamill RTÉ
RTÉ
David, who suffers from chronic lung disease, continues to live locally as his 16-year-old daughter is about to sit her leaving certificate in Kells.
“We’re sleeping on sofas still and that’s not good for my health,” he says.
The situation is that in Kells the rental accommodation, there is none – sorry there was two on it yesterday, one on Daft.ie, and they won’t accept rent allowance.
Ordinarily an assessment of the number of people on housing lists nationally is carried out once every three years, with the last such assessment being carried out by the Department of the Environment in 2013.
The outgoing Fine Gael / Labour government has since committed to tallying such figures annually.
The first such assessment is expected later this year.
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All the 8th amendment does is harm women’s health. Replace it with legislation that treats pregnant women and girls as autonomous humans, not Tupperware containers. The rally for lies this Saturday will be interesting.
@DaisyChainsaw: I find these, while no doubt well meaning, a tad disturbing in that the more options and recommendations that are made, the more they’ll cherry pick from and ignore but still be able to quite legitimately say they followed the advice of the Citizens’ Assembly.
@Daithí Ó Coinnigh: Kenny announced when the Assembly delivered not what was wanted (by the politicians in government) that there was another committee to be set up and ‘consider’ the Assmbly’s output – i.e. Water it down or even better – drag it into a dark alley, ignore it and bull ahead regardless.
Let women determine their own treatment options – NOT politicians!!!
If you’re going to explain the word consensus, don’t do so incorrectly. Consensus is where you arrive at something acceptable to all or the vast majority. Thus, these recommendations are acceptable to the vast majority of the assembly.
@Fiachrá Ó Dubhthaigh: repealing and then creating legislation for this is the best way.
Ireland’s obsession with referendums for everything really needs to stop, the only way this can stop is us stopping adding everything to the constitution even when it doesn’t need to be in it.
The first thing I have to say is “When did 25% become a consensus”. The second thing is ” I believe that the Citizens Assembly is one of the most sexist groups I’ve ever come across. Have men and boys not got an equal right to control over their reproduction . Or any ! This assembly is so biased that it didn’t even mention condoms for boys and men.
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