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Sinn F\u00e9in said it has compiled a dossier of \u201cheartbreak\u201d, documenting the human experience of the housing crisis to force the Government into action.<\/p>\nSinn F\u00e9in said it has compiled a dossier of \u201cheartbreak\u201d, documenting the human experience of the housing crisis to force the Government into action.<\/p>\n
The document, titled In Their Words \u2013 The Humans of the Housing Crisis, features testimony from a range of people across Ireland during the worst homeless crisis in the history of the state.<\/p>\n
Party leader Mary Lou McDonald said she posted the call for people\u2019s experiences on her own social media channels after embattled Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy survived his second vote of no confidence last week, and was flooded with responses.<\/p>\n
The report itself contains both long and short written submissions in a text bubble-style format.<\/p>\n
Testimony from those living in family hubs details young children witnessing violence in corridors, staff members walking into rooms unannounced and when tenants are not home, constant sickness exacerbated by lack of space, and lack of access to basic essentials such as washing machines.<\/p>\n
Mothers and fathers detail how their children are sick with asthma and are breathing in damp in homes not suitable for children, but lack of other options keeps them in the property.<\/p>\n
Mental health is heavily mentioned throughout the document, with many detailing counselling, use of antidepressants, anxiety and \u201cmentally decaying\u201d in emergency accommodation.<\/p>\n
One submission details three students living in a landlord\u2019s garden shed and another student paying near to \u20ac10,000 for nine months\u2019 private accommodation.<\/p>\n
A retired soldier told Ms McDonald how he lives with five adults and his grandson in his home, while a serving soldier says he was forced into emergency accommodation as his family would have \u201cno hope of getting anywhere\u201d if he was around.<\/p>\n
Many detail overcrowding in small houses, and studio flats with exorbitant rents, with one submission stating that they lived in a three-bedroom apartment, rented with eight other people.<\/p>\n
Ms McDonald said she was angry when Fianna F\u00e1il abstained on last week\u2019s motion against Mr Murphy, and felt compelled to take action.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen the no confidence vote in Eoghan Murphy\u2026 I put out a call on my social media accounts, I said we\u2019re going to have to do something about this, I asked people for their housing stories,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cNothing could\u2019ve prepared me for the avalanche of misery posted to my social media accounts and I made the commitment that I in turn would bring their stories to the Government.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis dossier is a catalog of heartbreak and misery, anxiety and trauma, real people and real families, and their experiences of homeless accommodation, rental, hotels, people living in tiny studios attracting rip-off rents.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople desperately looking for acknowledgement and answers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s very clear the Government does not listen to Sinn F\u00e9in, so I\u2019m challenging them to listen to the lived experiences of families.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve looked away, and censored out the experiences of regular people, but we\u2019re not letting them get away with that one second longer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to publish the human stories of the housing crisis \u2013 this can\u2019t continue.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t have to be this way, but what has been lacking is political will, these are human stories, and the Government needs to face up and come back with credible actions and answers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to draw lines now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Responding to the publication of Sinn F\u00e9in\u2019s housing document, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: \u201cI care a lot more about these issues than you do. I care deeply about the housing crisis, and the problems that we face in our health service, and that\u2019s why I\u2019ve taken on the mantle of leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019ve been willing to serve in government, and that\u2019s why my party and our colleagues are willing to serve in government and your party is different.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou walked out of government in Northern Ireland three years ago. And now we see an appalling health crisis unfolding in Northern Ireland and we also see a homelessness crisis in Northern Ireland.\u201d<\/p>\n
An emergency measure to freeze rents across Ireland was brought to the D\u00e1il on Tuesday by Sinn F\u00e9in.<\/p>\n
Housing spokesman Eoin \u00d3 Broin urged support for the Rent Freeze (Fair Rent) Bill 2019, which would provide a refundable tax credit for all renters and a three-year rent freeze, with a review at its conclusion.<\/p>\n
The Government has balked at the idea, saying it is \u201cunconstitutional\u201d and would drive out landlords and investors.<\/p>\n