Interactive map created to allow people tell their eviction stories

Hundreds of people across Dublin have been uploading stories of having experienced eviction or facing the threat of eviction, in an interactive map of Ireland launched on Monday by campaigning organisation Uplift.

Uplift Director Siobhán O’Donoghue said that “in the Dáil tomorrow, TDs have a choice to keep people in their homes by voting to extend the eviction ban or they can decide to throw them to the wolves”.

“The newly launched Eviction Map has only been live for a few hours and it’s already painting a picture of immense suffering.”

Gillian in Dublin, one of the people who added her family’s experience to the Eviction Map said: “Myself and my kids are going to be homeless in April. We have no family to rely on, we can’t get any help or accommodation anywhere safe to stay”

Housing expert and academic Rory Hearne said that “the psychological damage inflicted on children as a result of homelessness lasts a lifetime.

“The job of government is to protect its people, not inflict trauma on them which is exactly what will happen if the eviction ban is lifted.”

Uplift and its users have called on Dublin TDs to support the motion on Wednesday, regardless of party membership.

O’Donoghue said: “having a safe and secure home is a fundamental foundation on which we build our lives.

“Politicians need to be brave and stand up for their constituents by voting to extend the eviction ban – and we’ll be watching closely to let the public know how each TD voted.”

Details of the Eviction Map can be found at https://www.uplift.ie/evictions-stories-map/