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Labour TD calls housing crisis 'a national scandal' as protest takes place in Cork today

Labour TD calls housing crisis 'a national scandal' as protest takes place in Cork today

The Journal6 hours ago

A TD SAYS the housing crisis is a 'national scandal' affecting young and old ahead of a housing rally taking place in Cork city later this afternoon.
An 'All Out for Housing' rally is taking place at the National Monument on Grand Parade at 2pm, as political parties try to mount a public campaign on the issue.
Labour TD Eoghan Kenny noted that the average rent in Cork city is now over €2,200 per month, adding that people are at risk of being 'squeezed out' of the private rental sector into homelessness.
The 25-year-old Kenny, who was elected to the Dáil for the first time last year at the general election, said the issue affects various groups in different ways.
Earlier this week
, hundreds of people gathered for a rally outside Leinster House calling for urgent government action on the housing crisis.
A
challenge facing campaigners
is how to capture the public mood in a way that could mobilise similar numbers to the water charges protests or the 'Repeal the 8th' movements of the past decade.
Advertisement
'It's difficult to capture every single group and personal story that you have come across, because there's so many different ones,' Kenny told
The Journal
.
'I suppose the main focus is on the issue of policy – ultimately, the policies of the two main government parties that have been in power for the best part of ten years and the fact that homelessness figures are only increasing, house prices are only increasing,' Kenny said.
'From a very personal point of view on, I'm 25 living at home with my grandmother. Albeit the fact that I'm on a good wage now, the reality for me is over the next five years or so, until I'm at least 30, I probably won't be able to move out home, and that's a difficult position for me to be in.'
The 'Raise the Roof' protest in Dublin this week was coordinated by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions.
Today's rally is also organised by the Raise the Roof coalition and Kenny hopes that it will help get people out on the streets.
'During the week of 21-27 April of this year, 888 men, women and children were depending on emergency accommodation in Cork and Kerry, 193 of whom were children,' he said.
'We know that it is people squeezed out of the private rental sector who are most vulnerable to entering homelessness. It's a national scandal.'
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Up to 1,000 people partake in Raise the Roof rally in Cork
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Up to 1,000 people took to the streets of Cork this afternoon calling for urgent Government action to end homelessness and the housing crisis. The rally, under the umbrella of the Raise the Roof campaign, followed last Tuesday's protest outside the Dáil in Dublin. The national campaign is organised by a coalition of trade unions and Opposition political parties. Among the unions present were SIPTU, Fórsa, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and the Community Action Tenants Union. Joe Kelly of the Cork Council of Trade Unions said it was great to see people coming out in force to demand that there is a change to the housing policy of the Government. "People are very angry. We have workers on all sides of the economy and they are just priced out of housing. People have good jobs and they still can't a roof over their head," he said. TDs and councillors from Sinn Féín, the Green Party, the Labour Party and the Social Democtrats marched as did members of People Before Profit, the Socialist Party, the Irish Traveller Movement and Derelict Ireland. Jude Sherry and Frank O'Connor of Derelict Ireland carried a banner showing dozens of photographs of derelict homes from across the country. Ms Sherry said: "The whole of the country is crumbling. Every town, village and city has vacant and derelict properties in it. "So we have enough homes in Ireland to meet the emergency of getting everyone a home, even just the amount of council homes in the country is enough to ensure there is no child in emergency accommodation or going without a home." Labour Senator Laura Harmon said the State has to step in to build houses. "Something absolutely has to be done, we are losing teachers, gardaí, nurses, key workers from this country because of the housing crisis. I believe the housing crisis is the biggest threat to our economy here in Ireland, we need to treat it like an emergency," she said. Social Demoncrats TD Pádraig Rice said their message is that the Government's housing policy have failed and they need to change, while Sinn Féin's Thomas Gould said the clear message from today's rally is that "we need homes, and we need them now".

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Labour TD calls housing crisis 'a national scandal' as protest takes place in Cork today
Labour TD calls housing crisis 'a national scandal' as protest takes place in Cork today

The Journal

time6 hours ago

  • The Journal

Labour TD calls housing crisis 'a national scandal' as protest takes place in Cork today

A TD SAYS the housing crisis is a 'national scandal' affecting young and old ahead of a housing rally taking place in Cork city later this afternoon. An 'All Out for Housing' rally is taking place at the National Monument on Grand Parade at 2pm, as political parties try to mount a public campaign on the issue. Labour TD Eoghan Kenny noted that the average rent in Cork city is now over €2,200 per month, adding that people are at risk of being 'squeezed out' of the private rental sector into homelessness. The 25-year-old Kenny, who was elected to the Dáil for the first time last year at the general election, said the issue affects various groups in different ways. Earlier this week , hundreds of people gathered for a rally outside Leinster House calling for urgent government action on the housing crisis. A challenge facing campaigners is how to capture the public mood in a way that could mobilise similar numbers to the water charges protests or the 'Repeal the 8th' movements of the past decade. Advertisement 'It's difficult to capture every single group and personal story that you have come across, because there's so many different ones,' Kenny told The Journal . 'I suppose the main focus is on the issue of policy – ultimately, the policies of the two main government parties that have been in power for the best part of ten years and the fact that homelessness figures are only increasing, house prices are only increasing,' Kenny said. 'From a very personal point of view on, I'm 25 living at home with my grandmother. Albeit the fact that I'm on a good wage now, the reality for me is over the next five years or so, until I'm at least 30, I probably won't be able to move out home, and that's a difficult position for me to be in.' The 'Raise the Roof' protest in Dublin this week was coordinated by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. Today's rally is also organised by the Raise the Roof coalition and Kenny hopes that it will help get people out on the streets. 'During the week of 21-27 April of this year, 888 men, women and children were depending on emergency accommodation in Cork and Kerry, 193 of whom were children,' he said. 'We know that it is people squeezed out of the private rental sector who are most vulnerable to entering homelessness. It's a national scandal.' Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal

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