The next Government should commit to ending family homelessness, writes Sr Stan Kennedy
The housing and homeless crisis is one of the greatest social and economic challenges faced by our society and that the next Government will responsible for tackling.
Focus Ireland wants to say loud and clear to every candidate standing in this General Election that the housing crisis impacts on people across the country and in all walks of life: One in every 16 households is on the social housing waiting list, even two-earner households are stretched to pay their rent, and saving a mortgage deposit can take years putting the dream of buying your home out of reach for so many families and individuals.
But the hardest hit are those forced out of their homes – with a record number of more than 5,000 people now without a place to call home. Shockingly, one in every three homeless people is a child.
Meanwhile, thousands of parents and single people fear losing their homes as they struggle to pay the rent or the mortgage every month. This is a terrible crisis but it’s vital to stress that there are solutions to these problems but they will only be delivered if the newly elected Government knows that this is a national priority.
Polling date
As one of Ireland’s leading housing and homeless charities, Focus Ireland has been working on our own election campaign long before the polling date was called. Focus Ireland has lobbied all parties and key independents in recent months and submitted a comprehensive policy document to each outlining very specific actions that need to be taken by each Government Minister in the next Government.
We have now launched the public side of our ‘Election Demands’ campaign. This highlights five key commitments we are asking every candidate to make to help the next Government end the housing and homeless crisis. Our important campaign is calling on voters to raise the issue when canvassers call at the doors and we are also asking voters to add their voice to the online campaign.
It only takes one minute for voters to go to www.focusireland.ie/get-involved/take-action and send a prewritten e-mail to all the candidates in your local area with the five demands as this handy website automatically includes the emails of declared candidates once you pick your local constituency from a dropdown list.
Target
Many recent opinion polls show the issue of homelessness – and the housing crisis – rising up the list of voter concerns as homeless figures have reached a record level with a total of over 5,000 people – including 1,638 children without a home. Focus Ireland’s five key demands provide realistic solutions to this issues as the actions include calling for the next Government to deliver 40,000 social homes over its five-year term and to set a firm target date for ending long-term homelessness and rough sleeping. We are also calling for all candidates to make a commitment to end family homelessness and take action to support holding a referendum on the ‘right to a home’ within the first three years of the next Government.
Focus Ireland believes the five key demands below can be used as questions for any voter to ask politicians seeking their vote to determine where they stand on tackling the housing and homeless crisis. You can print out the five questions at www.focusireland.ie/get-involved/take-action/questions-to-ask-your-local-candidate and ask one or two of them to canvassers knocking on your door.
*Sr Stan Kennedy is a homelessness campaigner and founder of the homeless support organisation Focus Ireland.