The Raise the Roof campaign is to hold a Dáil Rally in support of Secure and Affordable Housing for All, on Tuesday April 23.
The rally will take place at 5.30pm on April 23 to coincide with the Dáil debate on an agreed opposition party motion that demands a new plan for housing which prioritises delivery of secure and affordable homes to rent and buy.
Raise the Roof has called on Taoiseach Simon Harris to make a clean break with failed housing policy of the past and support the campaign call.
The Raise the Roof housing campaign group is coordinated by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and is comprised of trade unions, housing and homeless agencies, student unions, Traveller groups, human rights advocacy groups and community organisations.
The opposition party motion is supported by Sinn Féin, the Social Democrats, the Labour Party and People before Profit/ Solidarity.
It calls on government to develop a new plan on housing that will prioritise affordability and security for all in the housing sector; increased delivery targets of public housing and genuinely affordable homes; higher investment in housing and a greater focus on bringing vacant homes back into use.
The motion also calls for the reintroduction of the ban on no fault evictions and measures to cut rents; a new student accommodation strategy focused on affordability developed in conjunction with student unions and colleges; full implementation of recommendations from the Traveller Accommodation Expert Review and the Irish Refugee Council proposals on emergency accommodation for those seeking protection.
The motion calls for the holding of a referendum on the right to housing, which has not yet taken place despite repeated commitments from the government.
Irish Congress of Trade Unions General Secretary Owen Reidy called on Congress affiliates to support the April 23 rally and the key objectives of the housing campaign.
This is an issue for unions and wider civil society. We need a housing system reset. We’ve been doing the same thing for a decade, with ever worsening outcomes for young workers, families, students and many, many others.
The two elements absent from current policy are security and affordability and these must now be prioritised. Without secure and affordable homes, no housing policy can hope to succeed,” Mr Reidy said.
For further information contact: Macdara Doyle, ICTU Campaigns Officer on 087 9174171
