‘Hub’ protesters demand use of land banks owned by council to solve crisis
By Aideen O'Flaherty
DOZENS of families who have been living in homeless family hubs in Tallaght held a protest outside County Hall recently, where they called on South Dublin County Council to build more social and affordable housing in the county by utilising ‘land banks’ which are under council ownership.
Most of the protesters were residents of the Abberley homeless hub in Tallaght, which houses 40 families while they await permanent accommodation.
Protest sign outside County Hall
A resident of the Abberley hub, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Echo what it’s like to live in the hub with her two young children.
“Being stuck in a hotel room with two kids is very stressful,” she said. “We all want our own space and it’s stressing us out – we’re living in limbo, we don’t know how long we’ll be here.
“If you’re a prisoner you’re given a sentence and you know when you’ll get out, but when you’re in a homeless hub you don’t know how long you’re going to be there.
“There are 40 families living there and it’s becoming too much, there’s too many people.”
The resident has been living in the hub for several months and attended Friday’s protest with other residents of the hub to voice her frustration about the lack of social and affordable housing.
Referencing the fact that the council built no houses last year, the woman said: “If there’s no houses being built then we’re not going to get a home.
“We’re suffering in a housing crisis that needs solutions now – we want full commitment from the councillors [to get more social and affordable housing built on council-owned land.]
“We’re only just getting over the Magdalene Laundries, but now we’re normalising women and children being left in hotel rooms.
“We will continue to fight until we get the full support of all the councillors in South Dublin County Council to stop privatising the council’s land, and to use it for social and affordable housing.”
The woman added that this protest is “just the start” and that there will be more protests until permanent affordable or social housing is provided by the council.
Kieran Mahon, a Solidarity councillor for Tallaght Central, said: “We support this protest 100 per cent and hope this can develop into a major campaign of political pressure to provide the necessary thousands of social and affordable homes on publicly-owned land banks.
“The council have the land banks and can access the money – all that is needed is the political will to make it happen.
“We need a serious approach to this crisis, and a serious turn away from the private market which is not delivering.”
A spokesperson for South Dublin County Council told The Echo: “Family hubs are an important emergency response for families who become homeless and who have no alternative other than commercial hotels.
“It is not a long-term housing solution and families are encouraged to move out as soon as possible to long term accommodation.
“This can take the form of the HAP scheme or social housing allocation.
“The council has a major social housing construction programme underway.
“In allocating all dwellings the council strives to achieve a balance between the needs and preferences of applicants, the wellbeing of existing tenants and the community as a whole.
“Taking this into account residents of the Abberley who have been a significant time on the Council Housing List as well as the homeless list may be offered social housing units.”
