Families stuck in rent trap nightmare – Cllr Cathleen Carney Boud

February 20, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Dublin Sinn Féin city councillor has commented on a recent report by daft.ie, where it illustrates that a 3 bed house to rent in North Dublin City costs €1400 per month.

 Cllr Cathleen Carney Boud said:

 “Roughly, that is €350 a week for rent, then there’s bills to pay, transport costs getting to work, school fees etc. and that’s before you put a dinner on the table!”

For working families it is a huge struggle to keep a roof over their heads. These prices are going to continue to rise until supply meets demand”

We tend to focus on families on rent supplement or mortgage arrears but I have had more and more families who are stuck in the rental trap come to me looking for advice.

It is frustrating that renting is costing more than a mortgage, but it is impossible to save when paying such high rents and the new 20% deposit rule will mean that many families will be renting for most of their lives.

Security of tenancy, rent controls and better regulations must be applied to support long term tenants.”

Filed Under: Ballymun

Harrowing human stories represent the Government’s abject failure to address homelessness in Dublin – Dessie Ellis TD

February 19, 2014 By Leave a Comment

Dessie Ellis TD has stated that harrowing human stories provide the sharpest representation of how the government has failed to address the worsening crisis of homelessness in the capital city.The TD for Dublin North-West said that emergency accommodation in Dublin is at capacity every night and temporary assistance from the Civil Defence has been sought this month.

Deputy Ellis said:

“We now have a situation in which sixteen families a week are being made homeless in Dublin. The stories of human hardship coming out of this crisis provide the sharpest representation of how the government has failed to adequately address homelessness in this city.

“One such story is that of a family who were designated as homeless four months ago. Due to the lack of any other option, they spent three months in Bewleys Hotel by Dublin Airport and the last two weeks in the Metro Hotel.

“They have two daughters aged two years and six months.

“They were told at 11.45am this morning that they had to leave at 12pm. The family contacted the homeless section of Dublin City Council who then started a search for new accommodation.

“However, at 3.30pm the family were told that the police would be called and they would be asked to remove them. The homeless section also said that the family would have to leave but that they would continue their efforts on behalf of the family.”

Deputy Ellis continued by saying that the family’s hardship is the direct result of a government that is unwilling to acknowledge the scale of the housing crisis.

He said:

“This government has failed to acknowledge the seriousness of the crisis and subsequently they have failed to direct sufficient resources and funding into combatting homelessness.

“Services are struggling to keep up with the demand for emergency places and follow-on placements including independent-living housing.

“It is a national scandal.”

Filed Under: Housing