ST ANNE’S COURT RAHENY:
Vacant Council Housing for Older People; State Building Company Now
St Anne’s Court in Raheny is a council owned housing area for older people. It’s been a great community for them for years.
There are 61 apartments, 58 of which are usable according to residents.
But walk past the apartments today and you can see over half of the windows and doors boarded up. Council workers power-screwed them shut at 7:15 on a Saturday morning without notice to the remaining 12 occupants, all over 60.
Residents say that they don’t want to move or be moved out.
‘This was supposed to be my forever home. After this I don’t want to go anywhere but the hospice. I don’t want a bigger place, I just want to stay here in Raheny with the community I know and am a part of.’
One resident is in his mid-nineties. Another has lived in St Annes for 33 years, another 28, another has been a resident here 16 years.
There shouldn’t be a sense of doom around these apartments. Why should they feel pressure to move out and make way? We should renovate and use them immediately for housing in this emergency.
Local property issue, National political problem
Dublin Bay North People Before Profit rep Bernard Mulvany says ‘This council needs to think again! Let’s re-fit and re-open these 46 apartments up. I’m thinking first about older people with mobility issues on the housing lists locally. They are desperate for housing security right now and under totally unnecessary pressure here in Dublin Bay North today.’
‘We see well-located council housing like this lying vacant here on the north of Dublin and right across the country. There’s 166,000 empty unoccupied homes- and 14,000 homeless! Why? To prop up the property profiteers! Let’s take this seriously.
‘The numbers show we actually have what we need to succeed on housing the homeless today! We can end housing insecurity. The problem is political. We need to end 100 Years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael and open up 100 thousand houses!’
‘People Before Profit say it’s time Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil stopped blocking up housing … and blocking up seats in the Dáil… so the developers, landlords, and vulture funds have the run of the Dáil. We need a Dáil that puts people before profit.’
‘So let’s get derelict and boarded up properties back in use asap. Our 2025 alternative budget once again calls for a state construction company. We’ll use it to deliver social and affordable housing and renovate vacant and derelict properties like St Annes Court in Dublin Bay North.’
‘We can’t wait to get started! If you want to see houses renovated and opened up as homes again, get active with People Before Profit. Another Ireland is possible! Back People Before Profit.’
