The Corona Virus Pandemic has shone a bright light on the risk posed to the health and well being of many individuals and families in this state because of a systemic failure to address the homeless crisis.
The latest homeless figures are a stark representation of the number of people whose health is seriously threatened in homeless and emergency accommodation.
The health crisis however, has had an interesting effect on the housing market. Short term tourism rentals have contributed to the housing crisis, particularly in Dublin, but with the pause in the tourism industry because of the pandemic, there has been a huge increase in these properties becoming available for rent.
It is time to rethink the over reliance on not just the tourism industry as an economic strategy and the impact that has on our housing crisis, but also the over reliance on the private sector and private landlords to provide housing for those on local authority public housing lists.
As a matter of urgency the State needs to intervene in the private market and immediately make these short term rentals available to local Councils. People Before Profit Councillors on Sligo, Carlow, Dun Laoire Rathdown, South Dublin County and Dublin City Councils will today write to Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy urging him to take control of these properties in order to properly house people, to reduce the number of people on local authority housing lists and to increase the stock of much needed public housing.
Editors Notes:
Letter sent to Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy
Dear Minister Murphy,
We are writing to you in order to express our deep concern about the serious risk that has been posed to the health of the very many thousands of individuals and families in this state living in overcrowded conditions in homeless and emergency accommodation resulting from the Covid 19 pandemic.
As you are keenly aware, there are many families living in one room, in some cases four or five to a room, or who have had to move their families in with their parents or grand-parents because of the lack of accommodation in this state.
There are many people living in Direct Provision and there are many migrant workers and students, who because of unscrupulous landlords are forced to live in substandard, cramped accommodation- sometimes in bunk bed scenarios, with four or five to a single room.
There are also families who are living in emergency or homeless accommodation who are not able to access their own cooking or sleeping facilities and, in some cases, forced to share a bed with their loved ones.
The current pandemic crisis has also had an interesting effect on the housing system. As the tourism industry has come to a screeching halt, thousands of short term rental accommodations have become available for rent.
We believe it is imperative that the State intervene to take control of these short term rentals – this represents a unique opportunity to make a significant impact on the levels of homelessness that exist in our state.
It would be totally immoral in the face the current public health emergency for many of the above-mentioned groups to be kept in homeless or emergency accommodation, when safer accommodation is available, and now in significant numbers.
