On Friday.

A protest against homelessness will be held in Dublin city with supporters meeting at the Garden of Remembrance at 1pm.

The group behind the protest call themselves The People’s Movement.

They write:

“We have an opportunity here and if we don’t take it then it will be another four years before we get this same opportunity again

“Our beautiful island is being run into the ground and our people treated inhumanely by those elected to do right by us.

“Every day they hurt people in some form, wether it’s being made homeless because people can’t afford the rent or from being evicted and people left to die on trolleys.

“Our hospitals are overcrowded and understaffed and not sufficiently equipped. Children are queuing at soup runs to eat and take home packed lunches so they can eat in school the next day, childhood memories tainted by the damp walls of uninhabitable B&Bs and squashed hotel rooms with parents who cry themselves to sleep.

“They are selling our public lands, denying our people social housing and privatising our most vital services, crippling families through extortionate rents and taxes, selling off our gas and oil resources, all while lining their already heavy pockets, the list goes on and on.

“And if I continued to name how much they hurt people you all know that I would be here all day. Haven’t you had enough?”

The People’s Movement (Facebook)

Meanwhile…

This morning Daniel McConnell, of The Irish Examiner, reports:

As many as one in four children in some of the most disadvantaged primary schools in the country are homeless, with principals warning that the real figures could be even higher.

Schools are reporting that the number of children aged between five and 12 presenting as homeless have increased significantly in the past three years.

Rise in pupils without proper homes (Daniel McConnell, The Irish Examiner)

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18 thoughts on “Free Friday?

  1. Dr.Fart

    I’m guessing the medium age of commenters on BS is roughly 40 odd. Give or take a decade. Now, can anyone remember being in primary school and there being even one homeless child in any class? I certainly can’t. I didn’t go to a posh school by any means, quite run-of-the-mill place. But never have i heard anyone else say there were homeless children in their class.

    In an apparent economic boom, how have the Government not only squandered it, but plunged so many into never-seen-before poverty?

    How the likes of Cian and Rob_G can still argue for FG and stand by them is unfathomable. Truly two very bad people who have no empathy or care for others at all. Party before everyone.

    1. newsjustin

      Went to (very) working class school. Can’t say I ever encountered children who were homeless. It seems that, even though “housing lists” have been around forever, everyone pretty much had a place to stay – renting, with family, etc. Everything is squeezed now. Too many people after too few ready-to-go homes in many areas.

    2. Cian

      The current government got into power at the middle of the worst economic crisis the country has seen.

      By most indicators Ireland is in a better shape today than 2011 when they came into power – the places where things are worse are (a) rent and (b) homelessness .

      1. newsjustin

        Don’t think access to health care has improved significantly since then either.

        And despite some OK plans, greenhouse gas emissions are still going in the wrong direction.

        Also, it may be unfortunate timing, but the crime situation does not seem to have improved.

        I’m not one for claiming the world is falling apart and it’s all the government’s fault. But those are issues in their wheelhouse.

        1. Cian

          This government introduced free GP care for under-6 and over-70.

          Greenhouse gas emissions are related to prosperity/GDP – as the economy improved emissions increased. An economic slump would help reduce emissions.

          1. newsjustin

            Fair enough on the first point.

            But the idea that greenhouse gas emissions are forever linked with economic growth is terribly old-school and passive. That link is weakening and need not exist. That excuse is just lame.

  2. broadbag

    I’m 40 odd – I remember poor kids in my class but they always had a roof over their heads. I doubt there’s many kids who are on the street as such but obviously living in a hotel or other temp accommodation is crap for a kid. Part of the problem is the figures have become blurred, how many of the 1 in 4 are growing up in their granny’s house, what’s the definition of ‘homeless’ these days (used to mean living on the street, doesn’t anymore) and how many ‘presenting as homeless’ are being advised to do that or are just looking to skip the queue to a free/nearly free forever home?

    Before I’m called an FFG bot again *rolls eyes* I won’t be voting for either of them and FG have made huge mistakes, but the idea that this will be magically solved by a different govt is a fallacy.

    1. Cian

      There are two ways to solve homelessness (and the underlying problem of crazy rent prices).
      1. Build more homes – a mix of social housing, buy to let, and buy to own.
      2. Crash the economy so badly that emigration becomes the most attractive option.

      For most of the last 100 years the governments have gone with option 2 – making emigration the default option for school leavers. Only in the last 25-30 years (specifically 1996-2008, and 2015 to now) has the Irish economy been robust enough to keep people here (i.e. have positive net migration).

      1. dav

        out-sourcing the building of social/affordable housing to the private sector is not the solution. Government has interfered with the “market” in 2008 and the world didn’t end, it’s time they stick it to the developers and become house builders.

      2. Dr.Fart

        very few have felt the benefit of a ‘robust’ economy in the FG years, 2015-now. When FF were in power during a robust economy, it destroyed the country, but everyone had a slice of the pie while it was there. Neither should be allowed do what they have done; FF, destroy the nation, and FG, sell off the nation. It’s not the economy keeping people here, it’s irish people wanting to live in the nation they were born and raised in. Many of which have to emigrate when it becomes impossible. but people arent staying here now because the economy is in good nick, theyre hear because they can, but they know theyd be financially better off abroad, but they want to live in their country. recession is coming soon, and many of these people will have to move. people are our biggest export.

          1. Dr.Fart

            thats the dumbest counterpoint i couldve imagined. i was about to go into explaining the well documented upsurge in migrancy the last few years, and explain that just the presence of “jobs” isn’t the be all and end all of how and economy works .. and many other things.. but fupp it .. i won’t. you know all this, you just choose to obfuscate these facts because, and as always, party over everything. defend FG to the last lie.

          2. Cian

            I can’t comment on what you were going to say. I commented on what you said.

            I said it was the economy.
            You said it was Irish nationalism.
            I reiterated it was the economy.
            You threw your toys out of the pram.

  3. White Dove

    Perhaps it’s part of artificially inflating property values to try to get them back to their pre-2008 levels? Three suggestions.

    The PRTB system needs to be significantly simplified with judges dealing specifically with landlord and tenant issues. The cost of their salaries and any increased cost to the court offices would be a lot less than the PRTB. District Court with an appeal to the Circuit.

    There needs to be grants and tax reliefs for commercial property owners to convert the upper floors of their buildings into flats. Most upper floors of pre-1960s shop premises in towns and cities are largely unused. This would benefit community generally.

    The Gardai or some sort of proper security need to be employed in homeless hostels.

    1. Cian

      A. The RTB doesn’t use judges. It’s adjudicators deal specifically with landlord and tenant issues. It’s adjudicators are paid a lot less than judges. The cost of taking a dispute to RTB is free (for mediation) or €15 (for adjudication). You don’t need a lawyer (more saving). The whole point of the RTB was to remove these cases from the courts and to speed it up.

      B. I agree.

      C: and what? the Gardaí are there to baby-sit the homeless. What happens if someone causes trouble? Arrest them? Kick them out?

  4. Learphollach

    One thing I’ve noticed from being in the UK and being in Ireland, is that you only seem to have a homeless problem when a conservative government is in power.

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