Gaelic Voices for Change - Dec 16th sleep out

[Syferus]

Not much interest in the Homeless/Accommodation in the Dáil it appears.
19 of the 158 attended a debate on this very important subject tester day.
2 FG
8 FF - 1 if them the Ceann Comhairle who has to be there. Our Eugene was one of  the 7.
3 SF
1 Lab
3 Loony PBP.
1 leftie Ind
1 Green.
Obviously no votes in it.
Now if it was about asking middle class townies to pay €3 a week towards the cost of public water and sewerage.......

Our homeless numbers are actually quite good so it's not fair to say people don't care, we care far more than most if you're being honest. I'm tired of the need to present societal problems like this as always being a 'crisis', albeit I'm sure many of those involved feel they only way they can get attention is by being as loud and indignant as possible.

This night has already raised 100k, good to see.

[Rossfan]

I'm sure the 8,300 people in Emergency accommodation in hotel rooms will be delighted that our homeless figures are "quite good"
Until the last 2 years homelessness  was the lot of various poor addicts, alcoholics, people with psychiatric problems -the traditional "down and outs".
Now thanks to spiralling private rents and lack of social or affordable housing "normal" families have nowhere to live.
If that's your idea of "quite good"......

[Orchard park]

Right wing idealistic  free market  it graduates jot in touch with the biggest societal crisis in the country....


The joys of outsourcing  social housing needs to the private  sector ,  35k houses  built by state in the midst of poverty in 1985, 70 in total 2015. I yhink those are the figures the consistently honourable Peter  McVerry quoted

[Syferus]

I'm sure the 8,300 people in Emergency accommodation in hotel rooms will be delighted that our homeless figures are "quite good"
Until the last 2 years homelessness  was the lot of various poor addicts, alcoholics, people with psychiatric problems -the traditional "down and outs".
Now thanks to spiralling private rents and lack if social ir affordable housing "normal" families have nowhere to live.
If that's your idea of "quote good"......

Yes, the figures are good. That good is obviously relative to where these numbers were in decades past (when hundred of thousands if not millions here lived in destitute poverty) and indeed other countries right now. It's simply a case of taking a cold look at figures and not letting emotion cloud your opinion. Politicians and public figures dare not say that because of the shouting down it would engender, but it's true all the same.

Acknowledging the situation for what it is doesn't preclude the need for more to be done.

[T Fearon]

I do not understand homelessness.It was never a problem in my young day,yet money was scarce.Addicts were committed to appropriate institutions to receive treatment and often "signed in" by their families,contrary to their own wishes.

It all boils down to living within your means.

There are two reasons for homelessness as I see it,addicts who won't seek help,and people who have proved they cannot manage their finances to keep a roof over their heads.

More houses for people who are incapable of dealing with the responsibilities of household management doesn't seem to be the answer.

[Rossfan]

That last post isn't worthy of any comment.

[Orchard park]

I do not understand homelessness.It was never a problem in my young day,yet money was scarce.Addicts were committed to appropriate institutions to receive treatment and often "signed in" by their families,contrary to their own wishes.

It all boils down to living within your means.

There are two reasons for homelessness as I see it,addicts who won't seek help,and people who have proved they cannot manage their finances to keep a roof over their heads.

More houses for people who are incapable of dealing with the responsibilities of household management doesn't seem to be the answer.

I''ll comment.

Fuvk off back to  licking cardinals rings and posting distasteful jokes about the dead you pompous p***k. You have neither knowledge  nor empathy

[longballin]

I do not understand homelessness.It was never a problem in my young day,yet money was scarce.Addicts were committed to appropriate institutions to receive treatment and often "signed in" by their families,contrary to their own wishes.

It all boils down to living within your means.

There are two reasons for homelessness as I see it,addicts who won't seek help,and people who have proved they cannot manage their finances to keep a roof over their heads.

More houses for people who are incapable of dealing with the responsibilities of household management doesn't seem to be the answer.

You are one sick cookie

[T Fearon]

So the simple solution is to build more houses? If all the homeless were allocated their own house today,how would they fare? Have they the means,commitment and knowledge to upkeep it for example?

The immediate answer lies in treatment (forced if necessary) of addiction,and families rallying round their own kith and kin in difficultly.

[seafoid]

Social housing done poorly creates more problems than it solves. I don't know if I trust our government or even the charities involved, no matter how pure their intentions, to tackle that issue in a sustainable manner.

The problems that lead to homelessness is rarely as simple as lack of housing anyways.

Social housing when done right and properly funded can be very comfortable and not just for people on lower incomes. This is one area that's worth looking to other countries for examples to follow.

Plenty of examples of public housing in most western countries of the best of intentions going terribly wrong. Pruitt-Igoe in St. Louis got so bad it needed to be demolished within 16 years of its construction at massive cost, financially and socially. Projects like the renewal of the Ballymun flats area here seem to be significantly more successful.

Fixing the problems that lead someone to be homeless is much more important than building housing that will likely end up ghetoising people imho.

Good old Pruitt Igoe.

https://youtu.be/nq_SpRBXRmE

When the Land Commission was doling out land in the 30s people in towns in Connacht without housing got a house and an acre. All over Roscommon of course. . And it didn't collapse into addiction. I wouldn't be surprised if a few of the great Ros players of the late 70s came from those houses.

You should take yourself out of your hole sometime Syf

[Avondhu star]

I do not understand homelessness.It was never a problem in my young day,yet money was scarce.Addicts were committed to appropriate institutions to receive treatment and often "signed in" by their families,contrary to their own wishes.

It all boils down to living within your means.

There are two reasons for homelessness as I see it,addicts who won't seek help,and people who have proved they cannot manage their finances to keep a roof over their heads.

More houses for people who are incapable of dealing with the responsibilities of household management doesn't seem to be the answer.

Your inability to understand is down to your limited intelligence. Unfortunately in a country where everyone is entitled to their opinion we have to entertain the shite you come out with

[haranguerer]

Explain it so

[T Fearon]

Yes I'd like homelessness explained too.If a tsunami or hurricane renders people homeless I would have every sympathy.

But this is certainly not the case in Ireland.I was informed at a seminar in Belfast by a senior manager of Belfast City Centre Management Who was also training to be a Methodist cleric that no one in Belfast any night needs to be sleeping in doorways or outside they are all offered beds every night.Addicts should be institutionalised and treated.

People forced out due to the market system whereby landlords seek to maximise their income,are no more victims of capitalism and the laws of supply and demand than anyone else.These people should be given adequate notice and every opportunity to find alternative accommodation

[Rossfan]

The alternative accommodation will be usually unaffordable leading to hotel rooms.
We need more affordable houses for first time buyers and more social housing for people who can't afford to buy those affordable houses.
Couldn't the Government introduce a VAT deferment for 1st time buyers and let that count as a deposit for mortgage purposes?
So instead of a house costing  €227k incl VAT and the couple having to have a deposit of € 22.7k they simply get a mortgage of €200k and pay the €27k VAT at €1,000 per year.

[seafoid]

High house prices are part of the problem. Prices crashed in 2008.  It was decided to reflate the market to suit the banks.