Housing

Are homelessness figures being massaged?

Thursday, 3 May 2018

Serious questions are being raised about the veracity of homelessness numbers emanating from the Department of Housing.

Social Justice Ireland submission on Ireland’s National Reform Programme

Monday, 23 April 2018

The Government has today published its National Reform Programme 2018, as submitted to the European Commission. In informing this process Social Justice Ireland submitted two papers to the Department of An Taoiseach - our comprehensive Europe2020 report and our analysis on the Country Specific Recommendations set out in the 2018 Country Report for Ireland.

Viability for Affordable Residential Developments, Building on Shaky Ground

Thursday, 19 April 2018

Last week (12th April 2018), the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government released its Review of Delivery Costs and Viability for Affordable Residential Developments, which enumerated the many reasons why providing affordable homes was difficult. There are many issues with this report, primarily with the lack of urgency in the Government’s response to this national emergency, however one glaring problem is its viability and affordability model. It is neither viable nor affordable.

Mortgage Arrears - 35,000 people at risk of homelessness

Tuesday, 10 April 2018

Almost 10,000 people accessed emergency accommodation in February 2018. Research released today by the Central Bank of Ireland suggests that almost 35,000 more are at risk of homelessness through late stage mortgage arrears.

Homelessness reaches new record high

Wednesday, 28 March 2018

Homelessness in Ireland has reached another all-time high. Most shockingly, the increase of 7.5 per cent in a month (more than 700 people) was driven mainly by increased child-homelessness. There are now almost 10,000 homeless people in Ireland. This includes 3,755 children.

Public Housing Provision – Cost Rental as an affordable, sustainable solution

Monday, 12 March 2018

Government needs to move away from reliance on the private rented sector to provide solutions to Ireland's housing crisis. This was echoed by the OECD last week in their recommendation that Ireland seek longer-term solutions that prioritise housing supply. Cost-rental may provide one such public housing solution which allows the State to recover the cost of housing provision while providing security of rent for tenants currently experiencing double-digit rent inflation.

OECD criticises Ireland's failure to tackle most pressing social needs

Friday, 9 March 2018

A report published yesterday by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has criticised Ireland’s performance in key areas such as health and housing.

Could Collective Bargaining and Cooperative Societies be the solution to the mortgage crisis?

Wednesday, 21 February 2018

In the most recent, and high-profile, mortgage sale, Permanent TSB this week announced its intention to sell 14,000 non-performing mortgage loans. Some commentators have suggested that, instead of selling these loans, that individual borrowers be allowed to ‘make a deal’ with the lender to buy the loan at the intended sale price. However, this solution is too simplistic.

Rent Hikes – Increased supply is the only solution

Tuesday, 13 February 2018

The Daft.ie Rental Report released today showed that private rents continue to rise in Ireland, with average rent nationally now standing at €1,227 and reaching a high of €1,995 in South County Dublin.
There were 85,799 households (235,947 people) on the social housing waiting list in June 2017, a decrease of 6% from September 2016, however over half of that decrease is attributable to transfers from Rent Supplement to the Housing Assistance Payment (HAP).

2018 – An opportunity to build a fairer Ireland

Monday, 8 January 2018

While the economy is doing well, it is crucial that policy-makers realise that many on lower incomes are not benefiting as they should. Almost 800,000 people in Ireland are living in poverty, a quarter of a million of whom are children. 1 million people in Ireland are experiencing deprivation. 105,000 people are working in a job with income so low they are living in poverty. Social Justice Ireland has a plan to fix this, and to build a fairer society for all.