Labour leader and housing spokesperson Ivana Bacik says the housing crisis is the “civil rights issue of this generation.”
She said the crisis was “denying people the basic human right to a safe and affordable place to live.”
“The government needs to do more to address this crisis, and it needs to do it now.
“We know the devastating impact that the housing crisis is having on people’s lives. Bringing vacant and derelict houses back into use could represent one way and indeed be low-hanging fruit in a range of measures necessary to tackle the systemic issue of supply when it comes to housing.”
Last week, the party launched a campaign aimed at tackling vacant homes across Dublin that could be used to house people, and earlier this year Bacik called for what she called a “structural revolution” in housing, calling for a step away from market-led solutions to the housing market.
Discussing the issue at Leader’s Questions this week, Bacik said “in the short term, tackling vacancy and dereliction would bring much-needed homes on stream.”
“In the medium term, it would save taxpayers money and in the long term, it would end the destructive cycle of allowing communities to fall apart from neglect.”
“We know from recent reports that the HSE owns more than 250 empty buildings across the country. It’s outrageous that the Government hasn’t instructed the HSE to release these empty buildings to house people who are so desperately seeking accommodation.”
While conceding that her proposal “isn’t a silver bullet” to tackle the issue, she said it is “just one example of how the public sector could be doing more to help with the housing crisis.
“We need a sense of urgency from the Government on tackling the housing crisis – we cannot allow people to continue to suffer in this way.