Richard Boyd Barrett TD writes to Housing Minister calling on
government to take emergency action to alleviate the overcrowded conditions
that many vulnerable groups endure in the face of Covid 19 crisis
PBP TD calls on government to take control of empty houses and
apartments being hoarded by developers and speculators and hotels in order to
house people adequately to reduce spread of virus
People
Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett this morning has written to Housing
Minister Eoghan Murphy to express his deep concern about the housing and
accommodation arrangements many vulnerable groups face in Irish society today.
The
Dún Laoghaire TD in the letter has called on the Minister to take control of
privately-owned hotels and vacant accommodation such as apartments and housing
stock in order to properly house people to reduce the spread of infection from
Covid 19.
The
TD pointed to vulnerable groups facing substandard, cramped and inadequate
accommodation in the teeth of the Covid 19 crisis. He noted that in these
cramped situations, the virus could spread extremely fast. The groups pointed
to in the letter include people living in homelessness or emergency
accommodation;, migrant workers and students, who in many cases live in
bunk-bed scenarios- four of five to a room in many cases; people living in
Direct Provision; families who have had to move back into parents or
grandparents homes due to the lack of affordable and adequate accommodation in
the state.
Richard
Boyd Barrett TD said: “I have written to the Housing Minister Eoghan Murphy
this morning in order to express my deep concern about the living conditions
and accommodation arrangements being experienced by many vulnerable groups in
Irish society today.
“People
living in homelessness and emergency accommodation, migrant workers and
students, people living in Direct Provision and families who have had to move
back in with parents and grandparents are particularly vulnerable in this
crisis.
“The
cramped and overcrowded conditions that many of these people face on a day to
day basis has now increased in urgency due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
“The
virus, in these overcrowded conditions, could spread very quickly and I have
called on the government and the Housing Minister to take control of hotels
that are empty and apartments and houses that are vacant and are being hoarded
by private developers, speculators, vulture funds and cuckoo funds in order to
house these vulnerable people in a way that is safe and which reduces the risk
of infection and transmission of the virus.”