HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE have taken to the streets of Cork city calling for immediate action from the Government to address the housing crisis.
SIPTU TEAC Division Organiser, Adrian Kane, told the crowd that the housing crisis will only be resolved by “radical political change”.
On the issue of far-right protesters who have held demonstrations at refugee accommodation centres and attacked camps for homeless refugees, Kane said:
“When you hear the agents of hate blaming a Ukrainian mother escaping war, an Afghan student fleeing the Taliban, or any other of the most oppressed people who have reached our shores for our current housing crisis, remember that these are the same people who would be blaming the single mother or the welfare recipient for our other social ills.”
“These people want hate, not change; they pick on those they perceive as weak because they do not have the guts to stand up to those in power.”
Four years ago we called for housing action in Cork at Raise the roof. We do the same again today but in a much deeper crisis. The Coalition of Convenience must reinstate the Eviction Ban @SIPTU @labour pic.twitter.com/vhQFzFZ63P
— Peter Horgan (@horganp) June 10, 2023
Raise the Roof campaigners are calling for the introduction of emergency measures to reduce homelessness including an end to ‘no fault’ evictions, long-term security for renters and the establishment of a legal right to housing.
The event was attended by the Fórsa Union, homeless agencies and representatives from People Before Profit and Labour.
Kane continued: “But the government is not listening. If anything is a testament to this fact, it was surely the last two significant actions concerning housing that this government took: lifting the eviction ban and waiving development fees.”
“That is why I believe the message we must take from our years of marching is one thing: we need political change. We need radical political change. We need, for the first time in the history of our state, a left-wing government.”
Labour Party representative for Cork City, Peter Horgan, said:
“Government representative at all levels bear responsibility. We urge Government to reintroduce the eviction ban to give workers, families and children the certainty that if nothing else, they can have a safe and secure to rest their head at night.”
Last month, Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien defended the Government’s record on housing after the latest homeless figures published by his Department showed there was a record high of 12,259 people in emergency accommodation last month.
Focus Ireland said the increase in the number of homeless children to 3,594 is particularly concerning.
O’Brien maintained the stance that supply is the key to bringing numbers down.
“Actually, if you look at quarter one of this year, we managed to exit and prevent about 1,500 people from going into homelessness,” he said.
“We’re still creating new tenancies. We’re building more social homes now than ever.”
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