Republican News · Thursday 3 April 2003

Housing crisis slammed

BY ROISIN DE ROSA

There were motions from every corner of Ireland, from Derry to Cork, Louth to Belfast, deploring the failure of administrations North and South to address the appalling crisis in housing, which in the 26 Counties alone has left 54,000 families denied their human right to a home and shelter.

Delegate after delegate highlighted the failure of the Dublin government. Councillors Dessie Ellis, Joe Reilly, Matt Carthy, Larry O'Toole, Sean MacManus, Mark Daly and Daithi Doolan all spoke in anger and outrage at the continuing denial of peoples' human right to a home, by a government looking only to the interests of builders and developers. As Daithi Doolan said: "Homelessness is the biggest challenge facing us today, and it is an issue at the very core of the sort of Ireland we want."

Arthur Morgan spoke of the 39% increase in building costs and the 138% increase in house prices. Mary Nelis spoke to a resolution that called on both governments to set up a cross-border working body to resolve the issue of homelessness, which he said "affects above all the most vulnerable in society, the single parents, the ex-prisoners, older people."

The right to a home has been a key equality issue from the time of the Civil Rights marches in 1969. Frank O'Neill from Cork spoke to a powerful resolution from Cork Comhairle Ceantair calling for a National Housing Agency with powers to purchase land at agricultural prices and ensure the construction of social housing in all private developments.

Resolutions called on the government to repeal the 2002 Planning and Development Amendment Act that removed obligations on private developers to build social housing; to use compulsory Purchase Orders to access land and initiate a building programme of affordable housing; to adopt the NESC recommendations to eliminate the housing waiting lists; and to enshrine the human right to housing in the Constitution.

Brendan Ó Caoláin made a powerful speech in support of a resolution from the Cole/Colley cumann in Coolock, Dublin, which called for sanctions on local authorities that have failed, in all cases, to meet their obligations under the Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act of 1998, leaving 1,000 Traveller families living by the side of the road without provision of services of refuse collection, electricity, running water, or toilets. About 7,000 people are living in these conditions - on the margins of Irish society.

Many delegates spoke against a resolution calling for a ban on the sale of local authority housing, and the Ard Fheis voted to reject this motion.