‘What do we want, homes for the homeless’ #ApolloHouse #HomeSweetHome pic.twitter.com/3L38w6mUPX
— Mick Caul (@caulmick) January 3, 2017
Now.
Outside Apollo House on Poolbeg Street, off Tara Street, Dublin 2.
Supporters of the Home Sweet Home occupation of the building – including Transition Year students Emma and Aisling, from Tipperary, top – gather before marching to the Department of Finance offices.
There, a letter and petition will be given to the Minister for Finance, Michael Noonan, calling on him to direct NAMA to use its property assets to address the homelessness and housing crisis in Ireland.
More as we get it.
Earlier: Apollo, Nama And You
Pics: Home Sweet Home
UPDATE:
The latest from #apollohouse @rtenews @HSHIreland pic.twitter.com/tYOvrGO0gd
— Conor Hunt (@conorfhunt) January 3, 2017
UPDATE:
On foot for receiving the aforementioned letter and petition…
The Department of Finance has released the following statement:
The Department of Finance today received a letter from the Home Sweet Home group, which is ten pages long and covers details relevant to the actions taken by that group. The Department of Finance will consider the content and a response will issue in due course.
The Government are aware of the powers of NAMA under the NAMA Act 2009.
NAMA has already been active in this space and have offered almost 7,000 units to local authorities for use as social housing. NAMA advise that of these local authorities have taken up c. 2,400 units for social housing use.
NAMA also has plans to facilitate the delivery of 20,000 private residential units on sites securing its loans in Dublin and its surrounds in the period to 2020.
NAMA is well on its way to deliver on that target and from Q1 2014 to December 2016 have facilitated the delivery of 4,500. The associated 10% social housing delivered on such sites should not be forgotten and is a further meaningful contribution to addressing shortages. This initiative highlights how NAMA can advance its commercial mandate whilst also being mindful of ancillary social objectives.
The availability of housing is the key priority for Government and has been the focus of a number of measures introduced under the Government’s Rebuilding Ireland Plan. The Department of Finance, the Minister for Finance, and NAMA continue to support that work.
#homesweethome has been the movement of the year.
Home sweet home can go and fu#k off. If anyone actually cares to checks facts they would see Nama, although its a fupping disaster in general, has offered more than enough liveable dwelling only to have councils say they dont meet the council criteria
They were offered housing already though like everything to do with house (and which both sides don’t want to admit) it’s always more complicated then the headline.
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/councils-reject-4000-social-housing-units-offered-by-nama-31575801.html
I think I saw a sign…
“Have hipster bike, will protest for free”
Were you down there in person? I was.
Helps to get out from behind the snark of your keyboard every now and again.
Yes
I shoulda asked for a pin to show how brilliant I am, like one of those “I’m not a racist” ribbons for snowflakes… but I didn’t see any going, ah well.
Hand it over Noonan! and if we must have foreigners then lets use them to keep it clean and cook for us!
Is that you Nigel Farage???
Hipster Bike Alert.
Good letter in today’s Irish Times from Joseph O’Connor on said subject:
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/social-affairs/apollo-house-hugely-inspiring-says-joseph-o-connor-1.2924209?
E.g.
“Apollo House matters. I thank the Home Sweet Home movement for its implied reminder that we don’t always have to be cowed little subservient muppets who bend the knee to power. ”
(http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/joseph-o-connor-on-apollo-house-occupation-1.2923545)