IMPACT’s seminar on homelessness and the housing crisis, which took place in the union’s Limerick offices at the beginning of June, served as a reminder that the problem is a national one.
The seminar was very well attended, showing a high level of interest among stakeholder groups and the wider public.
The seminar was addressed by a wide range of speakers, including Erica Fleming, who featured in the recent RTÉ documentary My Homeless Family. Erica is actively campaigning for government action on homelessness, and joined the IMPACT seminar in Limerick with her nine-year-old daughter Emily.
The seminar was also addressed by IMPACT deputy general secretary Kevin Callinan, who called for an easing of EU fiscal rules to enable a comprehensive State programme of building and buying affordable housing. He said this is achievable if we work together to put pressure on the political system.
Dublin City planner and IMPACT activist Kieran Rose focused on the need for an effective vacant land levy in order to stop land hoarding and said reducing apartment housing quality is not a way to increase housing supply or affordability.
Rory O’Donnell, director of the National Economic and Social Council (NESC), discussed the policy solutions set out in four recent NESC reports, including an effective system of rent regulation.
Focus Ireland’s Mike Allen, and Simon Community’s Jackie Bonfield, spoke on the complex nature of homelessness and solutions they believe can improve the current crisis.
Read more about the seminar in IMPACT organiser Joe O’Connor’s blog: Now let’s act on homelessness(3rd June 2016).
