Focus Ireland: “Voters should urge Local Election Candidates to make four clear commitments to tackle homelessness.”

Focus Ireland launched an online campaign today calling on every local election candidate to commit to tackling the homelessness crisis if they are elected on June 7th.

The charity has asked its thousands of supporters nationwide to email prospective councillors in their area asking them to take an Election Pledge to four key actions which will help ease the housing and homelessness crisis.

Focus Ireland Director of Advocacy said: “We know that housing and homelessness are two of the most critical issues that voters care about. Often voters feel a sense of hopelessness about some of the issues that are most important to them, so we are providing them with four clear actions that would make a difference, so that they can express their democratic power where it matters. ”

”Ireland is one of the wealthiest countries in the world, yet we are not using our new prosperity to end homelessness. We believe that – with the right policies and support – homelessness is preventable and it is solvable.”

Jessica Freed said: “I am supporting Focus Ireland’s campaign as everyone has a right to a place to call home. One of the election asks is remarkably close to me as it is to urge the Local Authorities to build more one-bed homes.  Half of the households on the housing waiting lists are one person yet the State has failed to build enough suitable homes for them. ”

”I have firsthand experience of this as a single person myself as I was left languishing on the housing waiting list for 12 years, the last three years in homelessness.”  Jessica is a freelance actor. She has always rented. Like many people in recent years, she has struggled with ever increasing rents.”

In 2020, she was the victim of a no-fault eviction. Finally, after 12 years on the housing list, Jessica was recently housed by DCC. She said she strongly feels that: ‘’the fact of people suffering the stress and fear of insecure accommodation or homelessness, should never be accepted as the norm.”

The charity maintains that while vital changes are required in central Government policy to help end homelessness the fact is that local councils and councillors also play a key role in delivering services and housing to tackle this crisis.

Mr. Allen said: “Candidates for election are campaigning now, and so it is crucial that voters who care about housing and homelessness ask them for commitments about real policy issues which they can change if elected. Homelessness has risen by over a third since the last local elections in 2019 to a new record of 13,866 people, including over 4,100 children. Voters need to demand more than empty words and slogans, that is why we have identified four clear policy areas that councillors can influence, and which can make a real difference.”

Focus Ireland is calling on voters across the country to raise these questions at the doorstep when canvassers call and also to go to http://bit.ly/4Asks and email their local candidates through a quick and secure online campaign tool asking them to sign up to the Focus Ireland pledge to support four key actions if elected.

These are:

• Will you ensure that the Local Council builds enough social housing to reflect real demand?

• Will you ensure that the type of housing built in my council area reflects the real size of households on the social housing waiting list? This means building more 1-bed apartments and 4-bed plus homes.

• Will you ensure that the Local Council allocates a fairer proportion of newly built social homes to people who have been trapped in homelessness the longest?

• Will you ensure that the Local Council makes decisions in the best interests of the child when assisting families who are homeless?

Full details of these four asks can be read  Here and watch the 4 asks campaign video Here

Mr Allen concluded: ‘’Many candidates will make promises about housing on the campaign trail and then many of the same politicians (of all parties) will later object to social housing development plans in their area. We want aspiring Councillors to be ambitious and committed to change and accountability. It is, however, important to stress that we have positive relationships with many councillors and local authorities. This campaign is designed to build on this solid foundation for the next five years.”

The charity is also urging voters to print out the four key demands so they can ask any candidates who canvass at their home if they support the campaign.

For more information on the campaign and to use the email tool log onto http://bit.ly/4Asks and voters can also show their support on social media by using the hashtag #VoteToEndHomelesness.

Media Contact: Roughan Mac Namara: 086 85 15 117