Homelessness protest hits Cavan as group says 'Home Sweet Home' type occupation could happen here

A local group say they would consider mounting a similar occupation of NAMA owned property as homeless emergency accommodation as the 'Home Sweet Home' movement did at Apollo House in Dublin, if the there was public backing for the cause.

The suggestion comes as members of People Before Profit Cavan (PBPC), supported by the Cavan Traveller Movement, floated a series of pertinent questions to Cavan County Council with regard to the homeless situation and demanded a response to the problem locally.
Homelessness in Co Cavan has spiralled in recent years; according to local authority figures compiled last December, 233 people - 126 adults and 107 children - sought support after becoming homeless.
By comparison, just 28 people presented as homeless in the county in 2013; 115 in 2014; and 172 in 2015. The council currently has almost 1,000 on the social housing waiting list, 40% of who are seeking housing in Cavan Town.
The group's call for action has been further boosted by growing pressure nationally on local authorities to access the portfolio of property currently in the hands of the National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) in a bid to alleviate the ongoing demand for housing. Of the 49 properties offered to the council by NAMA, just one was taken, with no demand for 15 others and 17 more rejected for sustainable community reasons.
By contrast, in neighbouring Monaghan, of 42 houses offered by NAMA, 39 were sought; while in Leitrim 35 were offered but there was no demand for any of them. Longford saw no demand for 11 out of 35 houses offered by NAMA.

Social housing

Meanwhile, construction is expected to begin in Butlersbridge where €582,474 has been allocated for the construction of four housing units. Likewise, €1.28 million has been allocated for the construction of eight new social housing units in Ballyhaise, and over €900,000 for the construction of eight units in Rosehill, Mullagh.
Within the voluntary housing programmes, 12 new units have been provided under the Capital Advance Leasing Facility in Cavan Town, and further approval has been obtained for 28 in Kingscourt and Cavan. Some 19 more units have been provided by approved housing bodies in Cavan Town for disabled, elderly and homeless people also.

 End goal  

“Ultimately the end goal, which we're accepting will not happen immediately, is a continuous rolling provision of social housing based on population numbers. Apart from anything else, we’re in danger of falling into another housing bubble with another crash. We can already see it happening in Dublin and it won't be too long before it spreads, and contaminates the rest of the country,' predicts John Walsh of PBPC, who along with others organised a protest outside Council buildings on Monday last.
As elected members arrived to attend their monthly meeting, the group unfurled a banner bearing the slogan 'Social Housing Now!'.
'Collectively we need to do all we can to ensure that this can never happen again. It is our opinion that a massive program of social housing building, one far more ambitious than the one on offer, is the only way to avoid it. The government has just published a record tax take for 2016, so a lack of funds is no longer a valid excuse,' Mr Walsh told The Anglo-Celt.

Apollo House 

His sentiment is shared by fellow PBPC member Emmett Smith who said it is understandable that if people cannot get satisfaction from their elected representatives, they are likely to take matters into their own hands.
Commenting on the good will shown to the occupants of the Apollo House 'Home Sweet Home' movement over the Christmas and New Year period, he said: 'We're looking to work with the Council, not against them. Right now we're looking for answers to questions every citizen of this county is entitled to. This feeds into transparency on the issue and when we receive those answers we can discuss the matter further and work to find solutions.
“People who are homeless are not prepared to wait for a policy committee, which meets once in a blue moon to come up with these answers. Action is needed now. Look at what Apollo House achieved. It brought the crisis to people's attention. If that's needed, if the people of Cavan feel that is something to be achieved, to provide a safe environment for homeless people, then why not?'