The government's housing policy has failed an entire generation of young workers and families.
So says the Waterford Council of Trade Unions, which last night held a public meeting in the Tower Hotel as part of the national Raise the Roof campaign.
Speakers included Frank Connolly of SIPTU and Dr Lorcan Sirr - a housing analyst in the Technological University of Dublin.
Tom Creedon is the secretary of Waterford Council of Trade Unions.
Speaking to WLR News, he says current approaches to housing just aren't working:
"In our view, the government's Housing for All plan has failed and it's repeating many of the failed policies of the past.
"It would appear to many people that it's designed to keep prices and rents from falling in order to support private developers because they do seem to be a major constituency of the government.
"... We're saying that the government shouldn't be wasting money on subsidies to private landlords through HAP and costly leasing deals and so on.
"Over €900 million euro was spent on these programmes in 2021 alone.
The Raise the Roof campaign is calling for housing to be made a human right in Ireland, as they say it is in 81 other countries.
The points of the movement, which were pointed out to those gathered last night, are:
- Double investment to support a major State-led housing programme for provision of public, affordable and cost rental homes for all;
- Ensure affordability is the key target of all housing policy, with prices and rents linked to peoples incomes;
- Introduce a Rent Freeze, new rent controls to deliver affordable rents and secure, long-term tenancies for renters;
- Retain all public and state-owned land in public control for the provision of housing and act immediately on the scandal of vacant homes;
- Create a new, legal right to housing.
