This morning, speaking on Kildare Street in front of Leinster House, People Before Profit Councillor Conor Reddy said “I have rented four places in the last 5 years, have faced eviction, rent increases and had to move back home with my parents on more than one occasion. I now pay close to half my income on rent and like many people of my age, I struggle to see a path to home ownership.
Almost half a million young adults are stuck living with their parents. 59% of those aged between 20 and 34 do so. Those that manage to rent are paying a huge portion of their income on rent, leaving little for many to live on. This is the reality for me and the locked-out generation.
I have been campaigning on housing and homelessness for many years. I played a leading role in Take Back the City in 2019, working with Raise the Roof and the National Coalition on Homelessness and Housing. Last year I ran a petition campaign calling for Compulsory Purchase of long-term derelict homes and a council apprenticeship scheme to bring vacant council owned homes back into use quicker.
There are 31 landlords in the Dáil. A third of Fianna Fáil TDs and over a quarter of Fine Gael TDs are landlords, but very few renters have ever been in the Dáil. If elected next week, as a renter I would focus on housing and homelessness and ensuring that the locked-out generation and renters get the break they urgently need.
Along with the other People Before Profit - Solidarity TDs, I would seek the immediate reinstatement of the eviction ban and I would push for measures to reduce rents. In our election manifesto we commit to reduce rents to a maximum of a quarter of average incomes. The Rent Reduction Bill 2023 that People Before Profit -Solidarity introduced in the Dáil last year lays out how this would be achieved. This legislation would be a very high priority for me in the Dáil.”