Housing

Congress believes that the Right to Housing is a fundamental human right.

It calls for an immediate reversal of the failed official housing policy (Rebuilding Ireland) that has resulted in:

• tens of thousands of workers – especially younger workers – being effectively locked out of the housing market, with little prospect of ever being able to afford their own homes or obtain decent, secure accommodation in the rental sector;

• record levels of homelessness, particularly among children and families, in tandem with record housing waiting lists and thousands of hidden homeless forced to live in unsuitable and cramped accommodation;

• profound and very damaging long term consequences for a whole generation of workers, students, people on low and modest incomes, women with children, travellers, people with disabilities and pensioners.

Congress reaffirms support for the Charter for Housing Rights and the principles it sets out, namely:

• Declare a national housing emergency and begin a major programme of public housing construction.

• Establish a legal Right to Housing.

• End evictions to homelessness.

• Establish security of tenure and rent certainty for tenants and develop the ‘cost rental’ model (as set out by NERI).

• Develop a national land management policy commensurate with the Right to Housing and to bring an end to land hoarding and speculation.

Congress notes that these essential principles were contained in a cross-party motion on housing that was overwhelming passed in
the Dáil, on 4th October, 2018 and calls on Government to immediately and fully implement all of the measures contained in that motion.

Local authority led delivery of public housing must be central to the successful resolution of the current emergency and Government must ensure that official policy reflects the primary role of local authorities in that capacity, whilst acknowledging that cooperative and not for profit bodies can also play a positive role in the delivery of affordable housing.